San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-22
Lotteries.

Lotteries have been condemned in
principle, though they are as yet not
wholly suppressed, in nearly every
country In Christendom. In most of
the states Of the American Union
they are forbidden by law. In Eng
land they have been prohibited since
the reign of George H.; in Belgium
they were suppressed in 1880, and in
France they are nominally forbidden,
though the government has permit
ted the element of chance to be in
troduced in the raising of money tor
certain semi-public purposes.
The lottery originated in. corrup-
ton. 1t vas at the beginning simply
q game of chance made use of by the
emperors in the declining days of
Rome to corrupt and heguile the
common people. It's demoralizing
nature was quickly recognized. The
earliest legislative bodies of modern
Europe protested against royal lot
t~eries, and the first Assembly of the
French Republic suppressed them as
"an invention of deposition to make
men silent about their want, by n
ticing them OH with q hope which
aggravates their DISTRESS"
The objection to lotteries is based
upon morals as we'll as upon public
expediency. Lotteries continually in
cite the poor, and persons who are
not we'll gifted with the moral sense
and quality of self-reliance, to depend
upon something else than their own
efforts to take care of themselves.
They lead such persons to neglect the
duties of industry, arouses the in
stinct of covetOusness, and stimulate
many evil passions.
Lotteries have been we'll called
schools of public decentralization
They introduce scandals and cor
ruption in public life. Such scandals,
involving charges of bribery of legis-
lators, have lately risen in Louisiana
and North Dakota. The wealth
which may in q few cases be gained
by individuals, and which is al
most always gained by the pro-
prietOrs of lotteries, is not acquired
by labor or any useful service, but
only at the expense of others, and
sometimes to the ruin, moral and
financial, of the persons who patron.
ize the lottery.
In this country the General Govern
ment has not the power to suppress
lotteries in the States, but 1t may pre-
vent their doing business through
the United States. mails, and that is
what is to be done by a law lately
enacted by Congress.
This law makes unlawful and frau
dulent all Communications through
the mails connected in any way with
the business of lotteries or gift enter
prises of any kind. 1t Is made q
nisdemeanor, punishable with q fine
of $500 and imprisonment for one
year, for any one to deposit in the
| mails any letter, card or circular in
any way bearing upon the business
| of lotteries.
No one may lawfully purchase a
lottery ticket through the mails, nor
may any ticket, prize or information
be sent by mail or delivered.
Postmasters have no power under
the law to open letters in order to find
out whether they contain lottery bus
mess, but registered letters, postal
notes and money orders directed to
lotteries or their agents are to be
marked fraudulent" and returned
to their writer's.
Newspapers which contain adver-
tisements of lotteries or lists of prizes
awarded are forbidden to be carried
in the mails under the same penalties
as other communications relating to
lotteries.
In brief though the government can
not suppress lotteries in the states, it
may prevent their doing business
through the mails, and undertakes to
do so in this law.
Ipasmuch as nearly all the States
have laws of their W which make
open dealing in lottery tickets un-
lawful, business of this sort has been
largely driven to the United States
mails, taking refuge there under the
iniviolability of private communica-
tions. The present law is intended
to make the malls no longer q cover
for such business.
1t can hardly be doubted
that the enforcement of this law
will prevent a vast amount of the
mischief due to lotteries, even if it
does not break them down. 1t is to
be hoped that it will be followed by
the total suppression of these demon
alizing aud hurtful enterprises In
the States where they are now per-
mitted in n or another form.
"