The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1890-08-02
Message of President
Against Lotteries.

-
WASHINGTON. July 29.-Preai.
dent Harrison to day sent the
following message to Congress:
To the Senate and Rouse of Repres
entatives:
The recent attempt to secure a
charter from the State of North
Dakota for a lottery company, the
pending effort to Obtain from the
State Of Louisiana a renewal Of the
charter of the Louisiana State Lot
terry, and the establishment of one
or more lottery, companies at Mex,
lean towns near our borders, have
served a good purpose Of calling
public attention to an evil Of vast
proportions. IF the banefll effects
Of the lotteries we're confined to the
Ste<e that gave the companies cor
porate powers and a license to
condnct such q business, the citizens
of others States, being powerless to
apply legal remedies, might clear
themselves Of responsibility by tie
use Of such moral agencies as were
within their reach. But the case is
not so. i
The people of all the States Are
debagched and deffauded. The
vast sums of money offered to the
States for charters are drawn from
the people Of the United States and
the general government, through lis
mail system, is made the 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 the State license. 1t
would be practically impossible for
these companies to exist if the public
mails were once efectually closed
against their advertisements and
remittances. Tie use Of the mail
by these companies is a prostitution
of an agency only intended to serve
purposes of legitimate trade and a
decent personal intercourse. e. is
not necessary, I am sure, for me to
attempt to portray the robbery Of
the poor, and the widespread cor
ruption Of pablieand private morals.
which are the necessary incidents Of
these lottery schemes.
The national capital has become q
sub headquarters Of the Louisiana
Lottery Company and its numerous
agents and attorneys are conduesion
involving probably q larger use Of
mails than that of any legitimate
business enterprise in the District
of Columbia. There seems to be
good reason to believe that the
corrupting tauch 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 leg station should be
promptly enacted TO enable the
Fostofffce department to purge the
mails of all letters, newspapers
and circulars relating to the bust
ness.
The letter of the postmaster Gen
eral, which | transmit herewith,
points out the in~adeqnacy of the
existing sfatues and suggests legis-
lion that would be effective. 1T may
also be necessary to SO regulate the
carrying Of letters by the express
companies as to prevent the use of
those agencies to maintain commu-
nicatien between the lottery compa,
MES and their agents Or customers
in other cities.
1t does not seem possible that
there can be any division Of senti-
ment as to the propriety Of closing
the mails against these companies,
and I, therefore, venture to express
the hope that such proper powers
as are necessary to that end will be
given to the Postofiee Department.
BENJAMIN HARRISON.
F