The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-04-18
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL .9DYERTTSEH

= IN Unce.& u
cnAn1r. NJ a. 1 WmssrD Editors and Psprstor'.
Terms" The United States Postal Guide and
Official Adpertiser, containing about 80 svpsr-royak
oetauo pages, is published monthly for ONE Doll
LAR ONLY, per annum, payable in adpance--or dvc
dollars for siE copies ordered al any one lime.
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, has
for It's ann no less "a purposes than to Impart In
structon, in the general and detail, to the Officer,
and Agents of the American public, in respect both
to their duties and their rights, aud to make ihem
and the people at large, acquainted with the organ
ization, decisions and action of the Executive de-
partments of their Government. There has hith-
erlo Eeen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication Of information OF this Kind The
publication of the Laws and the issue of instruc
tons, more or less comprehensive, and atintervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly nade-
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
atructions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminoua
and are printed in quantities too small for general
circulaton 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 10
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves 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
pies, for the despatch Of the public business which
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 eX-
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 expect to do, to some
tent at least-apart from, and independently OF
any party personal interest or question what
ever. tfA ye,-
| 1t is known to most OF those to whom this pa
per will be sent. that the Senior Editor Audi
tor of the Post-Otfice 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. lie 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 flatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most Of the
present incumbents of the departments, und is on
becoming terms of intercourse and cvIlity with
them all The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
u daily routine and details of the Post-Ofice and
0thsr branches of the public business. 1t is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative &C
tiop and for imparting minute and illustrative in
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
nformaton 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 our paper, so as to
afford time for obtaining from the departments,
~ the orders notices and changes issued, made
bv Them during the preceding month. Tables o.
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws and
REGULATIONS. are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years II is
matter of Inconvenience and complaint, Tor when
hitherto there has been no remedy, that m one
4 month from the time Of these Issues, there are OF
fees in the tables which are no longer IN opera.."n
and Offices in operation which not IN the tables
Atthis tire there are 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 postmSscrs 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 pade, our paper
| will furniah the additions, corrections, and modif-
| c ations, made IN each month"; and by beirg filed
|
exaci information upon both subjects, up to and
for lime being. Hoy much Of the presen. misdi-
recti,,n, remaining, doubt, confusion, error, and
mpos tioD. will be saved by the progressive state
of full ,lnd exact knowledge, for which we have
provided mad for which we engage, every intelli-
gent postnr aster estimate for hImssif.
These ad vnniages 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 tho 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 course 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 patsr
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers Of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
ention TO the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, untry, will embrace ina
condense form the matters submitted to, or aris-
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal Of
valuable information is communicated to Con-
greas 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 docume {
and report, is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
tives which at once shows the impractcabty 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
to those interested, whenever it is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large.
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample. 1t viii be our Jealous 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, comprehending and confined
to the action Of the Government, is solid, useful
and Eve might almost say necessary to the Off
cer--lf to the citizen. II is intended for all,
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
with any II at the end of the yerr. any subscriber