The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-08-02
President Harrison Sends q Long
Message to the Senate and House
of Representatives.
He Takes q Stand Against All Lot
%teries, and Especially the
Louisiana Concern.
He Recommends the Passage of the
Anti-LOttery Bill Bill Now Be-
fore the House
The Presidents Position.

WASHINGTON, July 29.-President Har-
rison to-day sent the following message
to congress:
To the Senate and House of Representa-
tives:
The recent attempt to secure q charter
from the state OF North Dakota for q lot
from the state of Louisiana a renewal Of
the charter of the Louisiana state lottery
and the establishment of one or more lot
terry companies at Mexican towns near our
border, have served the good purpose of
calling public attention to this evil Of vast
proportions. If the baneful efforts of lot
teries were confined to the states that gave
the companies corporate powers and
license to conduct business, the citizens Of
other states, being pOwerless to apply le-
gal remedies, might clear themselves of re-
sponsibility by the use of such moral agen-
cies as were within their reach. But the
case is not SO. The people of all states are
Of money, offered to states
for charters drawn from the people of the
United States and the general govern
ment, through its mails system, is made an
effective and profitable medium of inter-
course between the lottery company and
its victims. The use of the mails is quite
as essential to the companies as a state IL
O11o ~ WouAN w RAuAVtS0AAy AAlROo0AOAO
for these companies to exist If the public
mails were once effectually closed against
their advertisements and r%emittances. The
use of the mails by these companies is the
prostitution of an agency intended to serve
the purposes of legitimate trade, not to
degrade social intercourse. It is not nee
essary, | I'M sure, for me to attempt to por-
tray the robbery of the poor and the wide
spread corruption of public and private
morals Which are the necessary incidents
of these lottery schemes. The national
capital has become the headquarters of the
Louisiana Lottery company, and its nu-
merOus agents end attorneys are conduct
ing her business, involving probably a
larger use of the mails than that of any
legitimate business enterprise in the Dis
trict Of Columbia. There seems to be good
reason to believe that the c%orrupting touch
of these agents has been felt by clerks in
the postal service and by some of the p0-
lice officers of the district. Severe and
effective legislation should be promptly
ment to purge the mails Of all letters,
newspapers and circulars relating to their
business. The letter of the post
master-general, which I transmit here
with, points out the ~inadequacy
Of existing statutes IS s and suggests
also be necessary to so regulate the carry
ing of letters by express companies as to
prevent the use of those agencies to main
tain communication between the lottery
companies and their agents or customers
in other cities. 1t does not seem possible
that there can be any division of sentiment
as to the propriety of closing the mails
venture to express the hope that such
proper powers as are necessary to that end
will be given to the postoffice department.
(Signed) BENJAMIN HARRISON.
Executive Mansion, July 29, 1890.
The letter of the postmaster general
referred to by the president calls atten-
ton to the ineficiency of the present law
and recommends the passage of the anti
lottery bill recently reported to the