, 1890-07-30

Officials of the Post Office ID Dartment
complain that under the present laws very
little can be done to interfere with the LOT.
terry business, and $4,000 sealed packages
OF lottery correspondence are sent throngb
the mails every week from the CITY of
Washington, which seems 70 be a disfrjbnt.
ing centre for the New Orleans concern. The
law tol bids the sending through the mails Of
circulars and letters relating to the bnSi.
hess OF lOtte les and gift enterprjS,S bur
sealed letters and packages cannot be
opened except by order of a court at the
Once Of delivery, aud then only on actual
proof that they contain matter relating TO
the dlNcredIted business. Such proof can
not De obtained without great difficulty
ana then ir can be used for the convic-
tlon Oh the sender of the forbidden matter
only at the place from which It is sent, If
mas been found virtually impossible to
OBTAIN convictions either at New. Orleans
or washington, where most of the business
IS done, because the local sentiment is sncb
as to give the offenders immunity. Tine
law does not apply to persons who are not
acting directly for the lottery company,
ana the sending of letters bv purchasers Of
tickets cannot be interfered with. The
courts have also decided that the prohi.
r. N'C oNC VI LI1 llditS uOtS non
apply to newspapers containing lottery
advertisements. The efforts of the Post
Office Department to prevent the delivery
OF letters to the agent Of the lottery in New.
orleans were defeated some years ae0 by
the device OF having its correspondence
addressed to a national bank there which
acts as Its accredited financial agent.
From these statements it is easy to see
that the department is almost pOweriess to-
prevent the use of the mails in the service
Oh tue lottery company, and, in point of
TACT, lis efforts have scarcely embarrassed
the concern at all in recent Years. 1t dis.
s'mlllateS It's ann0u Clements freely by
newspaper advertisements aud sealed cir
cularA; 1t "eceIYeS money orders aud IN pney
III registered letters through the mails itS
tickets are distributed andits prizes are paid
III the same way, and the gambling spirit of
ne whole country contributes to a great
monopoly, which has come to dominate the
Legislature and the body polite of a State,
aud is suspected of haviaga potent inau.
ence IN the Hobbies and COMMITTEES rooms of
Congress, What the Post Office Department.
asks, to enable it to close the mail service
to this Infamous business, is legislation
that shall exclude newspapers containing
lottery advertisements from the mails: for
BID the send ing Of letters for tickets bv
patrons of the lottery, as we'll as the send.
ing ont of circulars, &c, by its agents;
prevent the delivery Of its correspondence
to any authorized agent, even a national
oanE, and give jurisdiction of ~off1nSeS 10
the Federal courts in any district in which
the prohibited mail matter may be found.
Such legislation would doubtless enable
the department to do something effective
toward breaking up the p trtnership in Gusi-
ness between the Louisiana Lottery Com.
pany aud the United S'9tes Government,
Something certainly ought to be done t
that end. The gambling spirit is extremely
difficult to deal with, and there is no more
insidious method Of appealing to it than
that of the lottery, which holds out the
hope OF a fortune as the immediate return
for a small Investment. While States sup
press lotteries within their own jurisdiction
they have a right to be defended against
invasion by those of other States through
the United States mails. But those who
most severely condemn regular lotteries
are often addicted to encouraging the
spirit Ill the community where they live
by means of genteel devices, like raf1es
and the "taking Of chances" which are a
conspicuous feature of Gin urch fairs and
Oth0S 'charitable'' schemes for raising
money. Ii we prohibit lotteries in our
own State and ask the Government TO
prevent those Of other States from using
the mails to prey upOD the weakness of our
people, we should refrain from pandering
to the same weakness i'm Mons discusses