The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-10
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

PETER q. WAsmrNGros.
CmAnLEs M. WuLAnp, Editors and ProprisfOrs.
TERMS =" The United States Postal Guide and
Official Hdreriiser," containing about 10 spnsyyo,nI
octaoo pages, is published monihlu ry oyr no,
LAR ONLY, per amman, payable in aduanee-or Gys
dollars for sir copies ordered at ann one fine
PREPARATORY NOTICE
The enterprise IN which we now embark AMI
OF which this paper Is at once the conmencemerf
and sample Of the papers that are to follow ss
for It's aim no less purpose, than to impart IN
| sructon in the general and detail, to the Of;cer
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
iZaton, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partments of their Government. There has hith
erto Leen no vehicle for The regular and proper
| communication of information Of this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the issue of instruc
tions more or less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quae, 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
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.
highly useful in themselves as far as they go, and
| some of them Indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands OF all, nor if they did
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
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 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 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 east--apart from, and independently Of
any party or personal interest question what
| ever. tgf3
1t is known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
tor of the Post-Offce 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 Since his official connection with
the Government ceased he latters himself he has
preserved the respect end regard Of most OF the
preset incumbents Of the departments, and is on
becoming terms Of intercourse and civIlity with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
, engaged for several years, IN studying, by per-
sonai inquiry end examination, the practical and
I daily routine and details of the Post-O!ice and
other branches Of the public business. tits with
this stock OF experience, and these advantages iol
reaching the various sources of administrative ac-
ton, and for inparing minu.e and illustrative IN
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
Information, that we challenge your confidence
| aasd solicit your support and patronage.
We have fixed upon the 18th Of each month as
the day for the publication of our paper, so as to
afford time for obtaining from the departments,
all the orders notices and changes issued or madf
by them during the preceding month. Tables
f, Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, 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 remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues there are of
fees in the tables which longer in ope atons
and oiices in operation which not 1.-THE ablese
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 post u,asters and others are wholly
ignorant We propose 10 prevent, for the present,
any Increase of the evil Of either kind, and from
! the time another issue shnU be made, our paper
will furnish the additions, corrections, and nodif-
| cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasters fall and
| exact information upon both subjects, up 10 and
for time being. How much of the present nisdi-
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 intelli-
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
patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency Of the whole Post Office system--ai 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 or national interest, viii ihd place
IN this paisr.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
i merely TO postmasters and other officers of the
Government but to all other citizens who give at
tenton 10 the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development of the Z, untry, will embrace ina
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 re-
ports except the brief notices Of them, which
/ from time to time appear in the public papers
| The standing number printed Of each document
and report is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
tives, which at once shows the impracucability OF
| their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridgments or 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
10 those interested, whenever II is found desirable
he
Their. ia large field before u.s. the materials are
,mple IL viii be our jealous care TO collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the SUBSCRIPTIONS will be ample to
enable us to accomplish it all. The information
we propose to give, comprehend'ng and confined
to the action Of the Government, is solid useful ;,
and 1--WE might almost say necessary to the Off
cer-If not to the citizen. II is intended for all,
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
with any. fiat the end of the year. am subscriber