The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-08
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
.aND OFFICLaL anYPprIsrn

sl3 10 shoD 'ohat is DONE and ,ohat should b., dime
N IN 90ies.sS-E
CHARLES M. W m'r.an' Editors and ProprietOrs.
Terms =" The Uniied States Postal C,.id, and
Official adcertise," containing about 40 ,rnsy-ro,nI
ocfaro pages, Is published monthly for ONE poI,-
LAR ONLY, per aanuns, payable in adpance--or 6p,
dollars for sir copies ordered at any one time
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now embark. and
OF which this paper is ut once the commencement.
and sample Of the papers that to follow, has
for It's aim no less purpose, than to impart in
struction, in the general and detail to 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 nstruc
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
structons Ineligible The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too youmnous
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 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
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
1 hall ,..Ea ar,
this vacuum, and to provide for these necessities
If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
! primary Offices more uniform, methodcal, and ex-
act we shall make the administrative dutieso 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 Of
any party or personal interest or question what
ever.
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-Office 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 II on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he latters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most OF the
preset ncumbents 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-
sonal inquiry and examination, 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 ac =
f,rt
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 our paper, as TO
afford time for obtaining from the departments,
all the orders, notices and changes issued or mad
by them during the preceding month Tables
Post Offices, and compilations Of the Laws ana
Regulations, issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two three years. Ii is
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 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 preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much Of the presen, misd-
rection, remaiIing, 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 inelli-
gent postmaster estimate for himself 500
others, are worth many times the price 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 turning upon questions
Of official duty national interest, will find place
in this pa;.r. -
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
tenton to he 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-
dnate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports made by committees of both Houses
But the great 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-
lives, which at once shows the npracticability 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 n large field before us, the materials are
ample 1t will be 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 or the Government, is solid useful.
and 1--WE might almost say necessary to the Off
cer-if not to the citizen. 1t is intended for all.
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
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