New-York tribune., 1882-08-17
POSITION OF TUE WESTERN UNION.

so w1LFt L WRONG DONE BY THE COMPANY IN
TRANSMITTING MESSAGES IT, LOTTERY MEN.
In reference to the report that Distrct-Att0rney
McKeOn purposed to test the question whether
the directors of the Western UDIon Telegraph Com
pany could not be indicted as aiders aud abettors
OF the Illegal schemes of lottery dealers IN dong
their telegraph business for them, Mr. Swlyne,
the senior counsel for the company, SAID yesterday
that he would have no conn ent 10 make upon
such statement until Mr. Mckeon should make
such an attempt The telegraph company, lie
added. had never consciously done any thlug TO
violate the law with regard to lotteries nor had 1t
wIlfully aided the lottery men in any unlaw .ul
schemes. His attention had never been drawn To
the subject before. to the Transmission of mess
ages of this character being improper. The com
pany had been Contendins IN Chicago against the
bucket-shOp' men who sought u compel them
as common carriers 30 give them the god and stock
quotations winch the company tnought Itself bound
not to give them 30 IN TINS case If there Was any-
thing ID Mir. Mckeon's proposition they would be
prosecuted crnnuallg II they did deliver the mess
ages OF tie lottery men and clylN If they dd not.
Mr Swayne reiterated hs statement thar the
officers Oi the company ln transmitting or deliver
lng such messages had not wItuIY done wrong,
but only what they conceived to oe their dniy
President Green Wa, not IN town HIS son. Pinck-
nev +. Green. one of The officers of tuc western
Union and president OF tine Cold aud stock Ire-
graph Company. SAID Yesterday afternoon !:
OF ban d + cllng movement mat lac sees is pop
ular. Probably not root the twenty nine directors
of the Western mon have ever personally known
tuat the company was scuulhg essdGc' Tor lottery
men. The statement freq qucutig has been mace
the newspapers that special Arrangement, have
been made with tue lottery companle, Tor the use
of certain wires on special OCCASIONS. A. To that
fact cannot say. though Do l9 very HkeIy iruc.
II 80 the arru4eWt mt ua- been made. 70 has with
the press, without any inquiry into the character oi
tine dispatches or a. to who" they we're 10 be- de-
hyered o.. There is uo such thing as q censorship
IN the company offices 90 determine whr her mess
that brought there are proper 20 DE trans-
mItted and delivered. Although ! don't know OF
any special instructions 10 the Operations on the
stIieCf Drcsuue tbar If messages were received
tnat @err obscene 20 he indecent tnc
operator would refuse 10 send them. But 10 not
unfrequentlv happens that pro ity passes over
the wires. Ny mpre-s ON Is tDaf the lottery com
panles have tele2iauued lmmedlately aIt-r thelr
drawings 10 their agents here the successful num-
heTs anu that these nave been DO cipheL lie com
pany has fcit bound 10 deliver such messages WITH
oar making anv inquiry as 10 whether they wee
D. be- put To an improper or illeg u use. In Ken
tucky aud Louisiana from which states the mess
a,es - are sent. lottcre. are authorized by i7W.
WHAT situation would the company hen be- III
If I'D those States u could Dr compelled O. receive
and transmit the messages a. "a comm-n carrier ana
10 iOuud that is oiucers we're suuect To Indictment
for del llyerIug Them m this state Personally am
OpDpo,ed To lotteries and should be glad % see
them suppressed. But DO not see how the & l'-
grdph company cal DO OtherW sr than thcy have
with regard to the scnIWg of message. They
certainly can't take the position tIat such action
illegal ulitll ~ ud~ bcth uuiclallN -
James -. Reid, who he ped To construct the hrSt
telegraph line America. and who has been con
nected with the Western Union Company since It's
organization SAID that arrangements Tor me send
ing Of lottery messages nad been common thing
tor man, wears. lie had himself re used 10 alIp"
the transmission Of message Tor lottery men under
circumstances that maultesty were improper and
tnat would give those seeking 10 send the messages
an ADVANTAGE over the general pubur; but ordinary
lottery messages were Received just as well as all
the rest OF the cOmpanys business was, ana were
treated u exactly the same way.