Public Notice advertising plays a unique role both in American history and in the process by which this country's democracy is preserved. Its one premise is that people must be informed if they are to govern themselves competently. Public Notice advertising first came into being with the congress of 1792. That body, recognizing its responsibility to the people, required the Postmaster General to advertise for bids for the construction of new post offices. From that inauspicious beginning to the complex publication requirements in federal, state and local laws today, government officials have come more and more to understand their obligations to inform the public; through Public Notice advertising. Newspapers over the years have been the vehicle by which these obligations have been fulfilled. They will continue to be as long as the public demands that it be informed frequently and by the best means possible. L30ftf