Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-30
LAWS AGAINST LOTTERIES.
The President Urges Congress to Enact
More Stringent Statutes.

The President yesterday sent to Congress a
letter from the Postmaster General urging the
passage Of the bill to prohibit the use of the
mails by lottery companies and their CORE
spondents. In his message Of transmission
the President says:
"A recent attempt to secure a charter from
the state of North Dakota for a lottery COM
pany. the open effort to obtain from the state
OF Louisiana removal of the charter of the
Louisiana State Lottery, and the establishment
OF one or more lottery companies in Mexican
towns near our border, have served a good
purpose OF calling pubic attention to an evil
OF vast proportions. If the baneful effects Of
the lotteries were confined to the states that
gave the companies corporate powers and a
license to conduct business, the citizens Of
other states, being powerless to apply legal
remedies, might clear themselves of RESPONSE
billty by the use Of such moral agencies as
were within their reach.
But the case is not SO. The people of all the
states are debauched and defraudcd The vast
sums of money offered to the states for char
tiers are drawn from the people of the United
States, and the general government. through
its mail system, il made the effective and
profitable medium Of intercourse between the
lottery company and its victims. The use of
the mails is quite as essential TO the company as
the state license. 1t would be practically i'm
possible for these companies to exist il the
public mails were once effectually closed
against their advertisements and remlttances.
The use Of the mails by these companies is q
prostitution OF an agency only intended to
serve purposes of legitimate trade and a decent
social intercourse. II is not necessary, am
sure, for me to attempt 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 q sub-head-
quarters of the Louisiana Lottery Company,
and its numerous agents and attorneys are con-
Quoting here business involving probably a
mate business enterprise in the District of
Columbia. There seems to be good reason to be-
lieve 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 Dis
trict. Severe and effective legislation should
he promptly enacted to enable the Post Office
Department to purge the mails of all letters
newspapers and circulars relating to the bust
ness. The letter of the Postmaster General
which / transmit herewith, points out the in
adequacy of the existing statutes, and suggests
legislation that would be effective 1t may also
be necessary to SO regulate the carrying Of let
tiers by the express companies as to prevent the
use of those agencies to maintain communica-
| ton 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 propricty 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 Post Office Department"