The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-10-10
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE
AND oFFICLaL aDYERTTSFR

Ii 10 sho'o whaf Is done, aud what should be done
ia office. E Is
cnAnlrs M NWs% "ss' Editors and PyoprieiOrs
! TERms.'' The United States pos,oi C,;d, and
Official ADVERTISER" containing abo, 70 spper-royal
| ocfdro pages, IS published monthly sr ONE poi
lar ONLY, per na'i,,n', payable in adpanee-or five
dollars for sir copies ordered. i.INap
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
| The enterprise in which we now embark. and
OF which this paper is at once the commencement {.
| and sample Of the papers that are to follow, as
for its aim no less II purposes than to impnrt in
sruction, in the general and detail, to the Officer
and A gents Of the American public, in respect both
to their duties and their rights, and make them,
and the people at large, acquainted with theorgan-
ization, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partments of their Government. There has hilh-
erto Ecen no vehicle for the regular and proper
cOmmu nication Of information of this kind The
publication Of the Laws and the issue of Instruc
tons, more or less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved who'll " made
qhate in the absence of the construction OF those
Laws, as applied to particular cases, and Of details
and illustrations to make the regulations and in.
structions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, too voluminous5
and printed in quantities too small for general
circulatiOn whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries Of the press upon their proceed
ings, and the proceedings of the Executive branch
of the Government, besides turning mostly upon
general principles, address themselves only to
nurty ends, and to matters of national policyy
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as far as they 60 and
some of them indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands Of all nor if thew did,
do they furnish those rules methods and exam
pies, for the despatch Of the public business which
render the discharge of public duty either SAT-.
or easy, whether in respect to the incumbent him
self, the department or bureau under which he
acts. We shall make an honest effort to supply
this vacuum, and to provide for these necessities
If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary Offices more uniform, methodical and ex
act, shall make the administrative duties of the
departments more easy and effective, and thereby
promote the real and substantial interests Of the
country And this we expect to do, to some ex
tent at least-apart from, and Independently,
any party or personal interest or question what
ever.
Ii il known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
tor of the Post-Oflce Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both postmasters and contractors, he has had
direct intercourse, IN person or by letter. He
tered the department fourteen years since, and for
many years previously, had been, first in the War
Department, and subsequently in the Treasury.
He has therefore had the best opportunities for
understanding the arrangements Of business in all
| the departments and being acquainted with those
who carry il on. Since his official connection with
preserved the respect and regard Of most of the
| present ncumbents of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and cvity with
| them all. The Junior Editor has been asssduously
| engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonai inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details of the Post-Office and
other branches Of the public business. 1t is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources Of administrative ac
ton and for impartins minute and Illustrative in
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that we challenge your confidence
| and solicit your support and patronage.
| We have fixed upon the 18th Of each month as
the day for the publication Of paper, so az to
afford time for obtaining from the departments
all the orders, notices andchanges issued, or mad,
| by them during the preceding month Tables O,
| Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only in two or three years. Ii s a
matter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
! hitherto there has been remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues, there are of,
fees in the tables which are no longer in operations
and Offices in operation which not in the tablesl
At this time there perhaps over three thousand
| Offices of the two descriptions. In like manner
| laws have been passed and regulations established
since the issue Of the last volume OF regulations
| of which many postmasters and others are wholly
ignorant. We propose to prevent, for the present,
any increase Of the evil of either kind, and from
| the time another issue shall be made our paper
will furnish the additions, corrections and modif
cations made IN each month, and by being filed
and pro srv 3D. will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much of the present misdi-
recton remang, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive state
of full and exact knowledge, for which we have
provided, and for which we engage, every intelli-
cent postmaster can estimate for himself.
These advantages alone and independently of all
others are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and will, it is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels just pride in his Office
a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency Of the whole Post Office system-at once
| TO subscribe The same considerations apply t.
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction.
Of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interior
! resneet 10 them. Notices Of the decisions Of the
! Supre1ne Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty national interest, will find aplacs
IN this pap~r.