Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-08-08
AGAINST THE LOTTERY.
President Harrison sent the fol.
lowing message to Congress
IN the Sanaka and Hama of Ranra.


lowing message to Congress
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatiyes:
A recent attempt to secure
charter from the State of NOrtl
Dakota for a lottery company, TIL
open effort to obtain from th'
State of Louisiana a renewal of thu
charter of the Louisiana State Lot
terry, and the establishment of ont
or more lottery companies in Mexl
can towns near our border, have
served good purpose of calling
public attention to an evil of vas'
proportions. If the baneful effects
of the lotteries were confined to thu
S ates that gave the companies
corporate powers and a license t
conduct business, the citizens o
other States, being pOwerless tt
apply legal remedies, might clear
themselves of responsibility by the
use OF such moral agencies as were
within their reach.
But the case is not so. The PEG
pie of all the States are debauched
and defrauded. The vast sums o.
money offered to the States fol
charters are drawn from the people
of the United States, and the Gen
eral Government, through its NAL
system, is made the effective and
profitable medium of intercourse
between the lottery company and
it's victims. The use OF the mails
Is quite as essential to the com
pany as the State license. 1t would
be practically impossible tor these
companies to exist if the public
mails were once etfectually closed
against their advertisements and
remittances. The use of the
mails by these companies is a
prostitution of an agency only in
tended to serve purposes of legltl
mate trade and a decent social in.
tercOurse. 1t is not necessary,
am sure, for me to attempt to por
tray the robbery of the poor and
the widespread corruption of pub
lie and private morals, which are
the necessary incidents of these
lottery schemes.
The National Capital has become
a sub.head.Qu of the Louisl
ana Lottery Company, and Its
numerous agents and attorneys
are conducting here a business In
volvlng probably a larger use Of
the mails than that OF any legltl'
mate business enterprise IN the
District of Columbia. There seems
to be good reason to believe that
the cOrrupting touch of these
agents has been felt by the clerks
in the postal service, and by some
of the police officers OF the District
Severe and effective legislation
should be promptly enacted, to
enable the Postoffice Department
to purge the mails of all letters,
newspapers, and circulars relating
to the business.
The letter of the Postmaster
General points utthe inadequacy o.
the existing statutes, and suggests
legislation that would be effective
1t may also be necessary to so reg
ulate the carrying of letters by the
express companies as to prevent
the use of th1se agencies to main
tain communication between the
lottery companies and their agents
or customers in other cities. II
does not seem possible that there
can be any division OF sentiment
as to the propriety of closing the
mails against these companies, anC
I therefore venture to express The
hope that such proper powers al
are necessary to that end will b'
given to the Postofice Depart
ment.
BENJAMIN HARRISON.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, July %
1890.
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