The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-09-19
The War Against fraudulent" Lot.
tCricS.

WASHINGTON, september lS.- ACUl0H
Postmaster General lIszen to-day issued an
order intended 10 exclude from the mails
all registered letters and letters containing
postal mOney-orderS addressed to several
firms alleged TO be engaged in conducting
fraudulent lOttegies NJ Louisville and Cow
lngton, Ky. and New York city. The or
der is prefaced with the following citations
from legal decisions and opinions bearing
upon the question, and also with the rea-
sons assigned for issuing it:
Whereas the Supreme Court OF the
United States, in deciding the case Of John
i. Stone ct al. Us. The state OF Mississippi,
declared that tbe contracts which the Fed
eral Constitution protects are those which
relate to property-rghts, not 10 Govern
ment rights--lOtteri belong TO the latter
class. They are species of gambling, and
wrong in their influence. They disturb the
checks and balances of a well-Ordered COM
munlty. Society bnilt on such foundation
would almost OF necessity bring forth q
population OF spectators and gamblers
living on the expectation OF what chance
might award them from the accumulatiOns
OF others. Certainly the right to stop them
is governmental, and 10 be exercised at all
times by those In power at their dis
cepts lottery-charter does so with the
implied understanding that the people, in
their sovereign capacity and through their
properly constituted authorities, may take
it bacl, at any time when the public good
shall require, and this whether it be paid
for or not. And whereas the General As
sembly OF Kentucky. by an act entitled
An act to repeal all laws granting lottery
privileges or franchises to any person or
corporation approved March 30, 1878,
enacted 'that all acts and parts OF acts OF
the General Assembly OF this Common
wealth containing any grants OF lottery
privileges or franchises be, and the same
are hereby, repealed so far as they relate
to such grants; and whereas Hon. p.
w. Hardin, Attoiney-Genera for the State
OF Kentucky, in response 10 an inquiry
from the post-office inspector, states in a
communication dated Frankfort, Ky, Au-
gust "a, 1880, az follows In response
to the first question, as TO whether the So
called Kentucky Lottery and the Common
wealth Distribution Company are legally
chartered, and have they any legal stand
ing. answer, emphatcaly, No!' Now,
therefore, it having been represented to me
that Il. NJ. Bosrdm,n, at the COurier.J0ur-
nal building, Louisville, KY, and at 300
Broadway, New York, and 7. j. CONNER
ford, 2l2 Broadway, New York, and w.
Porter, 1927 Broadway, New York, are en-
gagged in conducting fraudulent lottery
TO wit, 'The Commonwealth Distribution
Company and that n. j. Richmond, Cow
iugton. KY, and q. Uplngton. 500 Broad
way, New York, are engaged in conduct
Jog fraudulent lottery-to wit, 'The
Kentucky State Lottery and being salts.
fed from evidence before me that said par
ties are so engaged, and that said Common
wealth Distribution Company and Ken
tucky State Lottery are each fraudulent
lottery for the distribution of money by lot,
chance, or drawing, and are each scheme
or device for obtaicing money through the
mails by means OF false and fraudulent
pretences, representations. and promises, |
do hereby forbid the payment by The post
masters at Louisville, KY, Covingion, KY,
and New York city, OF any postal money
order drawn to the order OF SAID persons, or
either OF them, or either OF said lottery
companies"
The order also instructs the postmasters
at Louisville, Coyington, and New York 10
return all registered letters which shall ar
rive at their offices directed to these parties
TO the postmaslers at the offices at which
they originated, with the word "Ffaudu-
lent plainly stamped upon the outside OF