The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-27
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

-. ia e6ies.s4-G
CHARLES M. VILLAS VILLAS Editors and Proprietoys.
Terms. :" The United States Postal C,ide and
Ctical Advertiser, containing about 20 sy,,s,oI
oetaUo pages, rs published monthlu sby ous ma,
LAR ONLY, per dnnttna, payable Ia aduance-oy fire
dollars for sir copies ordered at amy time
PREPARATORY NOTICE
The enterprise in which we now embark. and
OF which this paper is at the commencement.
and sample of the papers that to follow has
for its aim no less a purpose, than 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, 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 vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information Of this kind The
publication of the Laws and the issue of instruc
tons, less comprehensive and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, in the absence of the construction of those
Laws, as 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 volumiuous
and 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 they go, and
some OF them Indispensable, but there is much
that do not reach the hands of all, nor if thew 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, methodica, 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 we expect to do, to some
tent at east-apart from, and independently OF
any party personal interest 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-Ofice Department until the month
of November last with by far the larger portion
of both postmasters and contractors, he has had
direct intercourse, III 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 Ilnaasury.
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 hatters himself he has
| preserved the respect and regard of most of the
| present ncumbents of the departments, and is
becoming terms of intercourse and civility with
them all. The Junior Editor has been assslduously
engaged for several years, In studying, by per-
sonai 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-
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative in
structon, 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
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 made
| 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 three years. 1t is d
| 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 no longer in operation
and Offices in operation which not in the tables
At this time 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 postmasters and others are wholly
ignorant We propose to prevent, for the present,
any ncrease'of the evil of either kind, and from
the time another issue shall be made, our paper
| will furnish the additions, corrections, and modf-
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 misdi-
| 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 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
a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity and
efficiency Of the whole Post Office system--et
| 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 or national interest, will find place
in this palsr
department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
i 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-
| inc i'm 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 docume
and report, is only twelve hundred IN the Senate,
and fourteen hundred IN the House OF representa-
,,ves. which at once shows the mpracticability OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abrdgments or analysis Of all these
documents and reports, and the compend viii
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish an easy index
10 those interested whenever it is found desirable
10 obtain and examine the document at large.
Their, is n large field before us, the materials are
annie II will be 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, comprehending 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 1t is intended for all,
and put at a price which can constitute no obstacle
with any II at the end Of the year, any subscriber