Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-06-16
NEWSPAPER LOTTERY.

According TO circular Issued from
Montpelier, Idaho, on the 9th Of June,
1893, Editor James II. Wallis Of the
FoN had two days previously been
arrested charged with using the mails
for lottery purposes, and bound over In
$500 to await the action OF the grand
jury. The oflcnse, according to Mr..
Wallis, was that he gave away n sew
ing machine 10 his paid.up subscriborsi
numbers corresponding TO those on
coupons held by subscribers were
placed In box, and the fltio,h one
drawn was the one winning the ma.
chine.
Following is the editors motive Tor
sending out the circular referred to;
/ anu confident that tho anii-lottory
law was mover intended 10 cover cases NJ
this nature, and II n decision can DO OBJ
tainod In my favor II will be- Of great
importance TO the country newspaper. /
have therefore determined TO make a toat
case OF II. and my object In addressing
this letter 10 you IN for tho purpose Of
tNllNAllk AhN hullNFN VI NV NANNhNA
nowApapormOu TO odltorially comment
upon this case aftor giving tihoir careful
attention.
The editorial comments OF the NEWS
will scarcely carry much comfort to
the heart Of Brother Wallis; for while
unfamiliar with the law In question
and hence unable TO study It's Ian.
guage, much less pass upon It's intent,
We are forced TO say that the sewing
machine rafIle looks very much to us
like lottery and ought to DO discout.
aged. This 10 not saying that many
other country newspapers, and some
that consider themselves metropolitan,
have not rosorted to the same and
similar devices and have gone I'M
punished. IL will not have boon for.
gotten that with some OF the most
boastful OF Utah papers there have been
"grand drawings" tor pianos, wag-
ons, watches, gold-heRded canes ami
what not, a chance being given 10
each paid-up subscriber, and the prizes
being obtained by the papers for adj
verllslng which could not otherwise
have been secured from the thrifty
frms whose wares were thus taken OIL
their hands. We are not aware that
the practice In any case led TO an In
quiry "a to its legality; 1t probably
being held that no one was seriously
robbed by 1t, since those who didn't
get prize got at least the paper, which
must have been worth something. We
hope that In the present instance the
authorities In Idaho will also take u
lenient view anu lot the Foa OIL on liz
promise not TO do anything Of the kind
again. II Ia not good Journa lism,
nor good business arrangement. II
is humiliation to the paper n
confession that the paper itself
is not worth the price asked for It, q
poor attempt TO exc out full value by
an appeal to rimple.minded cupidity.
This must be 20, Tor every sane person
knows that neither plano or organ or
sewing machine dealors, nor news.
paper proprietors, are giving away
something for nothing--they are
getting their money out OF the bust
ness somehow. We therefore TAX g
issue with the circulars opinion that a
favorable decision 81 the case "will be-
OF great Importance to the country
newspaper" OF much greater i'm.
portanoe TO every newspaper Il Il to no
conduct Itself that It feels the con.
seriousness OF It's own dignity and
worth, and the assurance that IN IT,
subscription price aud advertising rate
no patron 10 charged QUE cent more
than actual value TO him. Whatever
Is more than this cometh Of evil.