The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-30
THE LOTTERY BILL.
The President Addresses a Com
municatiOn to Congress.
PEOPLES INDEPENDENT PARTY
Of Nebraska-A Demand for Pure and Honest
Men for 0ffice-Granger Railroad
Legislation Wanted

WASHINGTON, July 29-President Har-
rlson to-day sent the following message
to Congress:
To the Senate and House of representatives:
The recent attempt to secure a charter
from North Dakota for lottery companv
pending the effort to obtain from the state
OF Louisiana renewal of the charter of the
Louisiana 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 IF the
paneful effects of lotteries were con-
hned 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 the responsibility nv
the use OF such moral agencies as were
within their reach; but the case is. not so
Inc people OF all the states are debaucbea
and de1rauded. The vast sums of money
oHered TO the states for charters are drawn
from the people of the United States and
the general government through It's mail
system IS made the effective and profitable
medium OF intercourse between the
|
The use of the mails is quite as
| essential to the companies as n state
license. 1t would be practically impossi-
Die 1or companies to exist if the Dublic
mails were once effectually closed against
these companies, and the prostitution of an
agency only intended to serve the purposes
| OF legitimate trade and decent social inter
course 1t IS not necessary, am sure. for
me to attempt to portray the robbery of
! the poor and the widespread corruption of
| pubic anu private morals which are neces
Sary incidents of these lottery schemes
The national capital has become the sub
| headquarters of the Louisiana lottery com
pany, and its numerous agents and
attorneys are conducting here business in
volving probably larger use of the mails
than that of any legitimate enterprise in
tne DISTRICT OF Columbia. There seems To-
be good reason to believe that the corrupt
Ing touch OF these agents has been felt bv
clerks In the postal service and and by some
of the police officers of the district. Severe
and effective legislation should be promptly
enacted 10 enable the postoffice
department to purge the mails of
all letters, newspapers and circulars
relating to the business. The letter of the
postmaster general, which I transmit here
with, points out the inadeGuacy of the ex-
| ing statute and suggests legislation that.
would be effective. 1t may also be neces-
sary to so regulate the carrying of letters
by express companies as TO prevent the use
OF those agencies to maintain commun1ca
ton between lottery companies and THEN
agents or customers in other cities. 1t does
not seem possible that there can be any
division of sentiment as to the propriety of
closing the mails against these companies,
etc, therefore | venture to express the
hope that such proper powers as are neces-
sary to that end be given to the postoffice
department
The letter OF the postmaster general re-
ferred to by the President calls attention
to the ineficiency of the present law and
recommends the passage of the anti-lottery
bill recently reDOrted to the Housa