The Press., 1892-02-18
THE LOTTERY AND THE MAILS.

The only real SeCbaCk to the Louisiana lottery has come from the new postal reg ulations. Atvarious times since 1888 h. spectol George A. Dice has done efficient work in obtaining evidence of violations of the postal law. but in every instance the United States court in New Orleans proved an obstacle to conviction, so liable is the ermine to lose it's luster in a lottery atmosphere. Finally, congress passed 8 1t t.possible to prosecute for the posting of lottery tickets or advertisements, along the route or at the destination. The day that law was signed MT. Dice heard sa- iute of one hundred guns fired in New Or leans by the anti-lotteryites in honor of their first and only success. Inspector George C., Maynard has since picketed
 the gulf districts, and, in addition to the IIsouieiana lottery has had sIso to watch tse N Jsss rszs stsesy A1 enricarn, to
 which Confederate General John s. Mos by is commissions. Mexico is para
 disc for gamblers. A traveller who has just returned says that at watering
 place in that country he entered tent, in
 one end of which was gaming table for adults, while in the other end was 8 table
 for youths; pawn-shop occupied the center.
 At the New Orleans post office, in ten days prior to the passage of the new law, the lottery company received 5000 let
 ters; in the sane time the New Orleans
 National, the lottery bank, received S,464 registered letters. For ten days fin July,
 1891. the lottery received only 5s4 letters,
 and the bank only Al registered letters. sOne-third of the New Orleans mail form
 erly went to the lottery, the receipts of
 the post office on that account alone
 amounting to $125 ,eO0 year. If
 necessary, the lottery would no doubt
 conduct it's carrying business by pony-ex- press, or even by foot-messengers; but just at present 1t finds the express compa- nies q handy agency, against whom, how ever, the postmaster-general is preparing legal warfare. ;s-,,....- :. In. the past, as at present, the lottery mall has been the chief source of corrup-
 ton to- the postal employees, and to an extent which official prudence, to aid It's detective work, has felt bound to conceal. But the facts are astounding. With the purpose of diserediting the New Orleans post office, the lottery bank has recently
 charged indifference on the part of the au- thorities, who are obliged to work iu \ quiet, and who have no surveillance over lthe employees of the bank; for the lottery l mail corrupts alike those that handle and \ those that receive 1t. An account of the. Rsubtsrfuges of the lottery to evade the
 postal law would fill volume.s Some of their home journals in the lottery interest
 are making a desperate assault on the \ constitutionality of the law, for excluding ! from the mails newspapers that print lot ttery advertisements. The case was ar- gued in November, and in December 8
 decision was given, sustaining the law | That public opinion strongly favOrs the exclusion of lottery matter from the mails
 Is indicated, the postmaster-g general says, by the fact that ssof the 2, ,259 newspaper
 editorials, published in $50 papers, which
 have come to the notice of the depart
 ment during the past year, 2,172 have iop-
 posed the use Of the mails by lotteries, I and 87 have favored it..s It would be in- .l were printed outside of Louisiana.
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