The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-05

ELLWOOD FISHER a
washmetoa CIV.
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL .aDYERTZSER.
III 10 sho'0 'ehst Is dors and phas should be done
=, IN qtice. LIN
PETER G, WAsHrNaroN, -.
CHARLES M. WmLARp, Editors and Proprisfors
IERms--' The United States Postal Guide and
Official .dduertser containing about 30 spprr~rovai
ocfsvo pages, Is published monthly for ONE pol
LAR ONLY, per onnu,n, payable IN adpancs-or 6ys
dollars for sir copies ordered at ann one ti,n<
PREFARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise IN which we now embark and
Of which this paper is at once the commencement.
and sample Of the papers that to follow, has
for its aim no less purpose, than to impair, IN
struction, in the general and detail, the Officer
and Agents of the American public, in respect both
to their duties and their rights, and TO make them,
and the people at large, acquainted with the organ
ization, decisions and action of the Executive de-
partments Of their Government. There has hith-
erto teen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication Of information of this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the issue of lDstruc
TONS more or less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, in the absence Of the construction Of those
Laws, applied to particular cases, and of details
and illustrations to make the regulations and in
structions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminous
and are printed in quantities too small for general
crcuation; 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
party ends, and to matters Of national policy
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as far az they 60, and
some of them Indispensable; but there 10 much
that do not reach the hands Of all, if they did,
do, thaxy oh rt,lea ma hOdu md
Piles, for the despatch OF the public business which
can render the discharge of public duty either safe
or easy, whether in respect to the incumbent HIM
self, or the department or bureau under which he
| acts. We shall make an honest effort 10 supply
this vacuum, and TO provide for these necessities
| If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary Offices more uniform, methodicai, and ex-
act we shall make the administrative duties OF the
departments more easy and effective, and thereby
promote the real and substantial interests or the
country And this we expect to do, to some ex
tent at least-apart from, and independently Of
any party or personal interest or question what
ever.
1t in known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
tor of the Post-Ofice 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 it on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he Aatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
present incumbents Of the departments, and is
| becoming terms of intercourse and civity with
them alt. The Junior Editor has been asssduou,ly
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
| sonal inquiry and examlnation the practical and
daily routine and details of the Post-Ofice and
other branches of the public business. 1t is with
this stock OF experience, and these advantages for
| reaching the various sources of administrative
ton. and for impating 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 az
the day for the publication Of paper, so as to
afford time for obtaining from the Departmental
all the orders. notices and changes issued. or mads
by them during the preceding month. Tables
Post Offices, and compilations Of the Laws ana
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years 1t is Il
matter Of inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been no remedy, that in one
month from the time Of these issues, there are Of
fees in the tables which no longer in operation
and Offices in operation which not in the tables
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 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 preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
| exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being How much Of the present misd-
| rection, remailing, doubt, confusion, error, and
| 4. H.
Of full and exact knowledge, for which we have
provided, and for which we engage, every intelIi-
gent postmaster estimate for himself.
These advantages alone and independently Of all
others, are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and will 1t is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels Just pride in his Office, or
patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency of the whole Post Office system-at once
to subscribe. The same considerations apply to
the orders and notices, decisions, and instructions
OF the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interior
departments, and the same is intended in
| respect to them. Notices Of the decisions of the
Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty national interest, will find place
IN this pau"r.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely TO pvstmasters and other officers of the
Government, but TO all other citizens who give at
tenton to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or aris-
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal Of
valuable information is communicated to Con-
gress, by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees of both Houses
But the great mass Of the community know moth
ing of the contents of these documents and
ports, except the brief notices of them, which
from time to time appear in the public papers
The standing number printed of each docume
and report, is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
tives, which at once shows the impractcablity OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridgments analysis Of all these
documents and reports, and the compend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy index
to those interested whenever it is found desirable
To obtain and examine the document at large
There is a large field before us, the materials are