Crawford avalanche., 1890-08-07
DOWN WITH LOTTERIES.
CONGRESS IS URGED TO DO
SOMETHING.

President Harrison Calls Attention 60 the
Evil aud tho Necessity for egisIatlon
to Prevent the Use or the United States
Mails-Postal Clerks in the Pay OF the
Louisiana Gamblers.
The following message has been sent
TO Congress by President Harrison:
TO the Senate and House OF Representatives:
"The recent attempt to secure char
ter from the State of North Dakota for a
lottery company, tho pending effort to
obtain from the State Of Louisiana re-
newal OF the charter of the Louisiana
State Lottery, and tho establishment Of
one or moro lottery companies at Mexi-
can towns near our border, have served
good purpose OF calling public atten-
tion to an OWL of vast proportions. III
the baneful effects of tho lotteries were
confined to the States that gave the COM
panies corporate powers and license to
conduct business, tho citizens of other
States, being powcrless TO apply legal
remedies, might clear themselves of re-
'ponsibility by tho uso of such moral
agencies as were within their reach
But the case is not so. The people of all
the States are debauched and defrauded.
The vast sums of money offered to the
States for charters are drawn from the
people of the United States and the Gen
eral Government, through its mail sys-
tenn, is made the effective and profitable
medium Of intercourse between the lot
terry company and its victims.
"The use of the mails is quite as essen
tial to the companies as the State license.
1t would be practically impossible for
these companies TO exist If the public
mails were once effectually closed against
their advertisements and rcmittances
The use of tho mails by these companies
is prostitution Of an agency only in
tended to servo purposes of legitimate
trade and decent social intercourse. 1t
is not necessary, i am sure, for me to at
tempt to portray the robbery of the poor
and the widespread corruption of public
and private morals which are the neces-
sary incidents Of these lottery schemes.
"The National Capital has become a
sub-headquarters OF the Louisiana Lot
terry Company, and its numerous agents
and attorneys arc conducting here buSi-
ness involving probably larger use of
the mails than that of any legitimate
business enterprise in the District of
Columbia. There seems to be good rea-
son to believe that the corrupting touch
of these agents has been felt by the
clerks in the postal service and by some
of tho police officers in tho District.
Severe and effective legislation should be
promptly enacted to enable the postoflice
department to purge the mails of all let
ters. The letter of the postmaster-gen-
cral, which l transmit herewith, points
out the inadequacy Of the existing stat
ates and suggests legislation that
would be effective. 1t may also be
necessary to so regulate the carry
ing of letters by tho express companies as
to prevent the use of those agencies to
maintain communication between the
lottery companies and their agents or
customers in other cities. 1t does not
seem possible that there can be any di-
vision of sentiment as to the propriety of
closing the mails against these compa-
nies, and / therefore venture to express
the hope that such proper powers as are
necessary to that end will be given to tho
postof1ice department..
"BENJAMIN HARRISON.
Executive Mansion, July 20, $780,
The letter of the Postmaster General
referred to by the President calls atten-
tion to the inefliciency of the present law,
and recommends the passage of the anti
lottery bill recently reported to the
IIouca