The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-08-02
Or Rather Writes a Message on
Lotteries for the Benefit of
Congress.
NE SPEAKS or the LOUISIANA ONE
The President Finds that it is Scoop
ing in Lots Of
Money.
He Recommends that the Mails be
Closed against all Lottery
Schemes.

WASHINGTON, July 29.-President
Harrison today sent the following mes
sage to congress:
To the senate and house of repre-
%tatives:
A recent attempt to secure Il charter
from the state of North Dakota for a lot
terry company, pending an effort to oh
tain from the state. of Louisiana ii renew
al of the charter of the Louisiana State
Lottery and the establishment of one or
more lottery companies at Mexican
towns near our border have served the
good purpose of calling public attention
to an evil Of vast PROPORTIONS. Ii the
baneful efforts of lotteries were confined
to the states that gave companies corpor.
ate powers and license to conduct bu j.
ness, the citizens of other states, (being
powerless to apply legal remedies,)
might clear themselves of the RESPONSE
bility by the use of such moral agencies
AS were within their reach, but the case
is rot so. The people of all the states
are debauched and defrauded.
The vast sums of money offered to
states for charters are drawn from the
people of the United States and the gen
eral government, through its mail system,
is made an effective and profitable med
ium of intercourse between the lottery
company and its victims. The use of the
mails is quite rs essential to the com.
panies as a state license. 1t would be
practically impossible for these ccm-
panies to exist if the public mails were
once effectually closed against their ad-
vertisements and r%elnittances. The use
of the mails by these companies is a
prostitution of an agency intended to
serve the, purposes of legitimate trade and
promote social intercourse.
1t is not necessary, | am sure, for me 10
attempt to portray the robbery of the
poor and the widespread corruption of
public and private morals which are the
necessary incidents of these lottery
schemes. The national capital has be-
come the carbohydrates of the Loulsl-
ana Lottery company, and its numerous
agents and attorneys are conducting here
business involving probably larger use of
the mails than that OF any legitimate
business ente prise in the District of
Columbia. There seems good reason to
believe that the corrupting touch of these
dRcutS mas DcoH lclG ny CicEhS Ill Luo
postal service and by some of the police
officers of the district.
Severe and effective Legislation should
be promptly enacted to enable the post
office department to purge the mails of
all letters, newspapers and circulars re-
lating to the business. The letter of the
postmaster general, which l transmit
herewith, points out the ~inadsquacy of
existing statutes, and suggests lel ~islation
that would be effective. 1t may also be
necessary to so regulate the carrying of
letters by express companies as to pre-
vent the use of these agencies to maintain
communication between lotteries and their
agents of customers in other cities. 1t
does not seem possible that there can be
any division of sentiment us to the pro-
priety of closing mails against these COM
panies, and l therefore, venture to ex-
press the hope, that such proper powers
as are necessary to that end will be gwen
to the postoff1ce department.
BENJAMIN HARRISON.
EXECUTIVE MANSON, July 20, 1890.
The letter Of the postmaster general re
ferred to by the president, calls attention
to the inef1ciency of the present law and
recommends the passage of the anti-lot-
terry bill recently reported t. the house.