Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-08-01
He Takes 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 Revolution in the Argentine Re
public Has Been Suppressed
by the Government.
The Presidents Position.

WASHINGTON, July 29-President Har-
rison to-day sent the following message
to congress:
TO the Senate and House of Representa-
tlVeS:
The recent attempt to secure charter
from the state of North Dakota for a lot
terry company, pending the effort to obtain
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 banefui 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-
SpOnSlbllity by the use of such moral ageu-
cies as were within their reach. But the
case is not so. The people of all states are
debauched and defrauded. Vast sums
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 state IL
cense. 1t would be practically impossible
for these companies to exist if the public
mails were once effectually closed against
their advertisements and remittanceS. 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. 1t is NOT nee
eSsary, am 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
Ut these lottery schemes. The national
capital has become the headquarters of the
L0ul> lana Lottery company, and its nll-
merOus agents end attorneys are conduct
ing her business, involving probably a
larger use of the mails than that OF any
trict of Columbia. There seems to be good
reason to believe that the corrupting touch
of these agents has been felt by clerks in
the postal service and by some of the DO
lice officers OF the district. Severe and
effective legislation should be promptly
enacted to enable the postotfice depart
ment to purge the mails OF all letters,
business. The letter of the post
master-general, which l transmit here
with, points out the inadequacy
of existing statutes, and suggests
legislation that would be effective 1t may
also De 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
against these companies; and l., therefore,
venture to express the hope that such
proper powers as are necessary to that end
will be given to the postoffice department.
lSlgned) 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
house.