The southern press., 1851-08-01
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL -aDyERTxSER

| "A' w viLLAkD, ~
nERms. -" The United States Postsl Guide and
ea' 'adpsri'ser," containing sbewt ~ svper-rsyal
octave Pages, Is published nsos.tkiy Ar OWE poL-
LAa ONLY, per annuns, payable in advsnce-or 6vs
doss0rs Jor sr copies ordered at ann one time
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise In which we now embark AMI
Of which this paper is at once the Commencement.
and sample of the papers that are to follow. tas
for It's ann no less purpose, than to impart n-
struction, in the general and detail to the Officer
and Agents Of the American public, in respect both
their duties and their rights, and to make them,
and the people at large, acquainted with the organ
zation, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partments Of their Government. There has hth
erto Esen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication OF Information OF this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the Issue Of instruc
lions, or less comprehensive, and al intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly inade-
quatA in ths absencs Of the construction or those
Laws, as applied to particular cases. and Of details
and illustrations 10 make the regulations and in:
structions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too vouminous
and are 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
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as far as they 20, and
some of them Indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands Of ALL if they did,
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
ples for the despatch Of the public business whick
render the discharge of public duty either SAFE
or easy, whether in respect to the incumbent hm-
| self, or 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
act, we 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
tent at least-apart from, and independently of
any party or personal interest or question what
ever.
| II is 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 en-
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 fatters 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 all. The Junior Editor has been asssduously
, engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
] sonal 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
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative in
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that 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 our paper, to
afford time for obtaining from the departments
all the orders, notices and changes issued made
by them during the preceding month. Tables az,
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 a
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 offs
fees in the tables which no longer in operation3
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,
i 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 preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being How much of the present msdi-
rection remailing, 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 intell-
gent 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, or
a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency of the whole Post Office systeu--at
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 course is intended in
respect to them Notices Of the decisions of the
: Supreme Court, in cases turning upon question:
of official duty national interest, will fnd place
| i'm this papsr.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely 10 pustmasters 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 c. untry, will embrace in
condemned form the matters submitted to, aris-
inc 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
| RI, the great mass Of the community know moth
inc of the contents Of these documents and re-
ports, except the brief notices OF them, which
from time to time appear IN the public papers,
The standing number printed OF escn document
and report is only twelve hundred IN the SENATE,
and fo,rteep hundred in the House of Representa-
,,yes which at once shows the impracticability of
their dissemination. The ADvERrisER Will con-
tnin short abridgments or analysis OF all these
nocuments and reports, and the compend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
,n.,ructve in itself, but will furnish easy index
20 those interested, whenever il is found desirable
| ~ obtain and examine the document at large.
Thsr. f. a large field before us, the materials are
.mnje. II will be our jealous care to collect and
,rrsnue them in the proper form. We have every
conGJenee that the subscriptions will be ample to
enable us to accomplish it all. The Information
we propose 70 g,ya, eS'~ nfromsm, nH a comns nass
| and I'VE might almost say) necessary to the Off
cer,f not to the ctzen.l Il IN intended for all,
and pu, at price which can contribute no obstacle
with any Hat the end Of the year, any subscriber
shaI find that he has secsivsd ths full value Of
h;a money, in intellectual enjoyment and in the