The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-31
WARON THELOTTERY.
President Harrison Compels Re-
port Of q Bill
FoRslDDINo USE OF MAILS.
Not Only the swindlsrs themselves, but
Unprincipied Newspapers Are to
Be Reached By the Law.
Washington City Special.

President Harrison has at last succeeded
in accomplishing what years OF toll on the
part Of certain members OF the House and
an almost unanimous demand from the
people of the country have hitherto failed
TO secure. The House committee on post
offices and postroads have reported bill
prohibiting the transmission through the
mail Of lottery matter of all descriptions
and placing in tho han. d of the postmaster
general such authority as is necessary for
him to carry out this prohibition.
This was not accomplished without mnch
labor on the part of the president, as was
stated in the dispatches q few days ago.
but President Harrison and the postmaster
general had almost despaired of any action
on the part of the House, although there
was in the House committee on post offices
and postroads q subcommittee which was
supposed to devote itself exclusively to the
subject of lotteries. There was before the
subcommittee no less than six bills bear
ing on the subject, but action was inexplic-
ably delayed. The bill excluded from the
mails not only all classes of advertise
ments and money, drafts, checks and all
forms of values intended for lottery COM
panies or agents representing them, but
schemes of drawings. As long as ten or
twelve years ago General Browne OF
Indiana introduced bill in the House
looking to this end. He went before the
committee and urged it in the name
of decency and fairness to the
people who were unable to see
the fraud in the management OF lot
teries to adopt bill OF this
character. Every two years since he has
introduced an anti-lottery bill, but mys-
FERROUS influences have in each instance
either kept the bill in the committee or
after being reported have prevented its
coming up for consideration. and no meas
ure looking to the suppression of the lot
terry bill has come within gunshot distance
of becoming law. 1t was privately stated
some weeks ago that President Harrison.
growing weary of the lottery frauds
and impatient with the inaction of
congress, had determined to take the mat
ter into his own hands. Two or three
weeks ago the chairman of the House COM
mittee on postofiices and postroads called
at the White house on two or three occa-
sions and it was said about congress at the
time that his calls were upon the requested
the president, who urged that there should
be some action taken at this session
It was stated that the president has
said that unless bill was voluntarily
reported from the committee he would
send a message to Congress point
ing out the evils of the lottery
business aud urging immediate action, and
it is presumed that the probability of such
action on the part of the presiden.
prompted the House committee to take the
action which it took today. It is signih-
cant coincidence that today in the trial of
police lieutenant before the district COM
missioners Sergeant Burgess testified that
the defendant. Lieutenant Guy, had con-
fessed receiving money from the Louisiana
lottery, and gave the names of other off,
GERS who had also received moneys from
the same source. Among those men,
toned was Horace E. Atchison, now q
Waterman at the White house. The dis
burser of the funds was said to be Dr.
Mohun, now resident physician at the dis
trict almshouse.