The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1890-08-08
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.

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 N 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-
iisnment OF one or more lottery con-
panies at Mexican towns near our Dor.
der, have served the good purpose OF
calling attention to an evil OF vast pro-
PORTIONS IL the banefui effects OF these
lotteries woro confined go Tho Slataa
that gives tho companies corporate pow
ers and a license to conduct the bust
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 vastsurfs
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. IL would be
practically impossible for these COM
panies to exist II 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
20 serve Sue purposes OK a i5gitia, 20
trade and decent social intercourse.
ut 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 a sub-hesdq uarters OF the Louisi.
ana Lottery Company, and its numerous
agents and attorneys are conducting
here business and probably a larger
use Of the mails than that OF any legit-
innate business enterprise in the Dis
trict Of Columbia. There seems 70 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
tha D,gtoRca nonartr,apt 30 ,,,-,.o 81 10
mails Of all letters, newspapers and cir
culars relating TO this business. The
letter OF the Postmaster General which
] transmit herewith, points out the in
adequacy of the existing statutes, and
suggests legislation that would be eff
fective.
- 49, ~ = aisp- hn-aaoessannto so-razu.
late the carrying OF letters BY Ssr-sss
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.
sit does not seem possible that there
can be any division Of sentiment as to
the propriety Of closing the mails
against these companies, and | there
tore venture TO express the hope that
such proper powers as are necessary to
that end will be at once given to the
Postofiice Department"
Accompanying the message are two
one letter of the Postmas-
er General directing the Presidents at
ention to the subject; the other a COM
,ilation Of the laws relating to lotteries
heretofore enacted, together with the
decisions Of courts defining those laws.
n his letter to the President, the Post
master General says that the urgent
Iecessity OF tho case impels him TO an
icipate his annual report by this special
in regard to the use Of
nails by the Louisiana Lottery Com
any.
After detailing the action OF the de-
artment in this matter ia the past, the
'ostmaster General says that it is mani
ost that the object of the law has been
thwarted and that, without
dditional legislation, the mails must
ontinue TO carry this class of matter.
lie submits to the President copy OF |
he bill recently reported from the |
louise Committee on Postoffices and |
'ostroads.