The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-08-09
A NATIONAL EVIL.
President Harrison Talks to Con-
gress About Lotteries.
A Message in Which He Urges the
Necessity for Legislation to
Thwart Their Designs.
Tho Use of the Mails Must be Forbidden
to These Companies and Their Custom

The Use of the Mails Must be Forbidden
to These Companies and Their Custom
ers-An Able Document.
WASHINGTON, July 30.-The President
sent the following message to Congress
yesterday: "The recent attempt to se-
cure charter from the State of North
Dakota for lottery company-the pend
ing effort to obtain from the State Of
Louisiana renewal of the charter of the
Louisiana State Lottery, and the estab,
lishment of one or more lottery COM
panies at Mexican towns near our Dor.
der, have served the good purpose Of
calling attention to an evil of vast pro-
portions. II the baneful effects of these
lotteries were confined to the States
that gives the companies corporate pow
ers and license to conduct the busi-
ness, the citizens of other States-being
powerless to apply legal remedies
might clear themselves of responsibility
by the use of such moral agencies as
were within their reach. But the case
is not so. The people of all States are
debauched and defraund. The vastsums
of money offered to the States for char
ters are drawn from the people of the
United States, and the general Govern
ment through its mail system is made
the effective and profitable medium Of
intercourse between the lottery com.
pany and its victims. The use of the
mails is quite as essential to the COM
panies as the State license. 1t would be
practically impossible for these COM
panies to exist if the public mails were
once effectively closed against the ad-
vertisements and remittances. The use
of the mails by these companies is the
prostitution of an agency only intended
to serve the purposes of q legitimate
trade and decent social intercourse.
SIT is not necessary, am sure, to at
tempt to portray the robbery of the
poor and the widespread corruption of
public and private morals which are the
necessary incidents of these lottery
schemes. The national capital has be-
come sub-headquarters of the Louisi-
ana Lottery Company, and its numerous
agents and attorneys are conducting
here business and probably larger
use Of the mails than that of any legit-
innate business enterprise in the Dis
trict of Columbia. There seems to be
good reason to believe that the corrupt
ing touch of these agents has been felt
by the clerks in the postal service and by
some of the police officers in the Dis
trict of Columbia.
"Severe and effective legislation
should be promptly enacted to enable
the Postoffice Department to purge the
mails of all letters, newspapers and cir
culars relating to this business. The
letter Of the Postmaster General which
l transmit herewith, points out the in
adequacy of the existing statutes, and
suggests legislation that would be ef-
fective.
ut may also be necessary ro 80 regu-
late the carrying of letters by express
companies as to prevent the use of those
agencies to maintain communication be-
tween the lottery companies and their
agents or customers in other States.
''It does not seem possible that there
can be any division of sentiment as to
the propriety of closing the mails
against these companies, and 1 there
fore venture to express the hope that
such proper powers as are necessary to
that end will be at once given to the
Postofice Department"
Accompanying the message are two
one letter of the Postmas-
ter General directing the Presidents at
tention to the subject; the other COM
pilation of the laws relating to lotteries
heretofore enacted, together with the
decisions of courts defining those laws.
In his letter to the President, the Post
master General says that the urgent
necessity of the case impels him to an
ticipate his annual report by this special |
in regard to the use of |
mails by the Louisiapa Lottery Com
pany.
After detailing the action of the de-
partment in this matter in the past, the |
Postmaster General says that it is mani
fest that the object of the law has been
thwarted and that, without
additional legislation, the mails must
continue to carry this class of matter.
He submits to the President copy of
the bill recently reported from the
House Committee on Postoffices and |
Postroads.
Poor Prophets About Silver.
New York, july 30.-Oyer 1,25O. 900