The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-09-23
THE IKE .TuCkY LOrrEssx.
FOstmasters Prohibited from
Sending its Letters through
the Maiis-Citations 10 Sus-
tain the Departments Fosi-

2 HhOHAs
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18-Actlng
Postmaster General Hazen to-day IS"
sued an order intended to exclude from
the mails all registered letters and let
ters containing postal money orders
addressed to several firms alleged TO
be engaged 10 conducting fraudulent
lotteries at Louisville and Covington,
Ky, aud New York city The order ~
prefaced with the following citations
from legal decisions and opinions
bearing upon the question, aud also
with reasons assigned for issuing 1t:
Whereas. the supreme court of the
United States, IN deciding the case OF
John b. Stone ct al. VS.. the State OF
Mississippi declared that the contracts
which the Federal constitution protects
are those which relate to property
rights. not to government rights.
Lotteries belong to the latter Class
They are a species of gambling, wrong
in their Influence; they disturb the
checks and balances of a well ordered
community. Society built On such o
foundation would almost of nee esslty
bring forth a population of spectators
and gamblers living on expectation OF
what chance might award them from
the accommodation OF others. Ger
talnly the right to stop them belongs TO
the government, aud TO be exercised at
all times by those in power at their
discretion. Any person. therefore. who
accepts a lottery charter does SO with
the implied understanding that the
people, in their sovereign capacity,
and through the properly constituted
authorities, may take it back at any
time when the public good shall re
quire, and this whetheri It be paid for
or not. He gets in legal eEact nothing
more than O license to continue. on the
terms named, for n specified time, un~
less sooner abrogated by tho sovereign
power Of the State. 1t is a permit
good as against existing laws, but sub
lect to future legislation or withdrawal u;
and
Whereas. The General Assembly of
the Commonwealth of Kentucky, by an
act entitled "An act to repeal all laws
granting lottery privileges or franchi
SEES to any person or c|orpomtiuu, APP
proved March 80, 2S78, enacted that
all acts and parts of acts of the Gener
al Assembly of this commonwealth con
tanning my grants of LOTTERY privileges
or franchises be and the SAM are here
by repealed so far as they relate to such
grants; and
Whereas, Hon. P. w. Hardlu, Attor
ney General for the State OF Kentucky.
in response to an inquiry from the post
office inspector, states IN a m
cation, dated Frankfort Ky, August 4
1880. as follows: in response to the tirsr
question whether the so~cailed Ken-
lucky Lottery and the Commonwealth
Distribution Company are legally char
tered. and have they any legal stand
ing. | answer emphatically M;
NV, til n fore. it b wing been rep
resented to me that r. NJ. iBnardman,
at the Couricr>Journal building, luus
willie Ky, and at tn 800 Broadway, New
York City. n Y. and 5. j.. CONNER
t1rd, 2l2 Baotdwly. N. Y. aud "
)iort"r, 1927 Broa lwry, NV York, ar
engaged in conducting "A fraudulent lot
terry, to wit: The Commonwealth DIS
rrlbution Company; and that NJ J
Richmond. Coviugton Kv.. and G Up
pington, 500 Broadway New York, ar
engaged in conducting a ~fraudn'ent lot
tory. to wit: The K -Dtucky State lot
terry. AID being SATISFIED from evideoc
before me hat said parties are 50 en-
gagged, aud that said Ccmm nwet 9th
Distribution Company and Kentucky
State Lottery are each a fraudulent lot
] terry for the distribution Of money b.
: lot, chance or drawing, and are each .
7 s'heme or device for obtaining money
[ through the mails by means of false am
/ fraudulent pretenses, representation
D and promises. | do hereby forbid paw
ment by the postmasters at louisville
KY. Covington, XIV, and New York
. n. Y, of any postal money order draw
to the order of said persons. or either O
them, or to either of said lottery con
; panies.
5 The order also Instincts the pOstmas
tiers at Louisville, Covington and New
York to return all re istered letter
e witch shall arrive at their offices direc
ted to these parties to the postmaste
At the offices at which they originated
J with the word Fraudulent" plainly
. stamped upon the outside of such let
D., 1 tiers.