The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-06
LOTTERIES AND FRAUDS.
4 SSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERALS
STATEMENT on TIE NEW LAW.
IL Puts n New Phase on the Sitt atiou-An
Important Ruling Regardin. what are
Known as New.p,per Laws

WASHINGTON, March Dine iieeS
ury gold reserve stood to-day at the
close Of business at $sl. $500, loss since
yesterday Of 81. OO0 The slowness with
which the syndicate is paying in the
gold IS causing some comment. While
it would be untrue TO say that a hitch
has occurred between the Government
and the syndicate as to gold being PAID
in, II is strictly correct 10 say that the
Treasury officials are veXed at the delay
on the part of the bond purchasers.
II is intimated that the Treasury situa-
ton has some connection with Secretary
Carlisle's determination at the last mo
ment not to accompany the Pres'ueh'
to North Carolina.
Assistant Attorney-General 1hoihds' Va
the PostoffiCe Department, to-day gave
out the following stat ement regarding the
new lottery law just passed. when pre-
vents express companies from carrying
lottery matter:
"By virtue of this act it Is made pun
ishable by imprisonment for a term not
more than two years, or a me OF hot
more than 1900, or both. 10 cause TO pe
Thought 10 this country from abroad
ar cause TO be carried from one State
to another in the United states any
papers. certificate, tickets. or advertise
ments concerning a lottery.
This. of course, will effectually prevent
the conveyance Of such matter between
States or bringing 1t into this country
from other nations by express companies
or common carriers between the states.
But the most important provision OF the
bill in the opinion of the post-oihce au-
thoritics, is the last section Thereon, winch
reads as follows:
"That the powers conferred upon the
Postmaster General by the statute OF
1890. chapter gO8, section 2, arc hereby
extended and made applicable to all let
tiers or other matters sent 10y mall
MAY FORBID THE PAYMENT.
The second section Of the act Of Sep
tember 49, 1890 here referred to, provides
that the Postmaster General may, upon
evidence TO him, that any one is conduct
ing a lottery or similar enterprise, or
scheme to defraud through the mails,
forbid the payment of money orders or
the delivery of registered letters to MN.
Here the authority given ended, ana
under the act as il then stood the ue-
partment could not and did not interfere
with ordinary matter under seal 'houSil
directed to a person known TO be promot-
ing a lottery or fraud. Hence the parties
who have heretofore been forbidden the
money order and registry system OF the
Postofice Department have corrcspoh-
dence with their patrons or with thelr
would-be patrons under seal, through the
mails, inclosing all their literature ana
giving instructions 10 procure express
money orders instead Of postal money
orders. and send them In sealed letters
by mail. all of which matter. thus under
seal, the Department was compelled 10
deliver to the addresses, though they were
~f,Is inn a Ia
way the Department has been trans
porting lottery and fraudulent matter
and express money orders for invest
ment i'm them. and yet has been deprived
of the revenues It was to have derived
from the postal money orders that II
would otherwise have Issued
The section above quoted from the act
of March ,, 1895. clothes the Postmaster
General with power TO meet and eradicate
this evil. 1t authorizes him TO refuse 10
deliver to a party who he finds upon eNl-
dencc satisfactory to him is cohuucIliS
a lottery or fraud through the mails, any
lette% or other mail matter, whether
Registered or not, and to have II return
cd to the senders, where known, or 10 the
dead letter office, if unknown, marked
fraudulent
If is confidently predicted that this new
mower conferred upon the Postmaslr-
General will greatly tend to suppress the
lottery traffic i'm our country which up
10 this time has been scOtched, but not
killed
ABOUT NEWSPAPERS.
the Assistant Attorney-General Tor me
post-oflice Department has made an I'M
portant ruling I'm regard 10 what are
known as newspaper laws Ihese So
called laws provide ,hat subscribers TO
nevspapers are liable for the price there
of unless ;hey give express notice 10
discontinue. or when they give notices 10
discontinue without paying arrearases
or refusal to take papers from the Of
fee and that the pubnsher OF news
noDer can have any one arrested LOT
fraud who takes a paper and refuses 10
NV Tor IL. and it is a dangerous trlcK
10 allow subscription 10 run on from
e,v months to a year and hail. ana
then tell the postmaster TO mark II re
fused or send the editor notice 10
discontinue the paper.
The department has time and again III
formed parties making inquiries, ana the
nublic generally. that there are no such
laws The ruling now made, however
Docs bevond this 1t was to the effect
mat a publisher who makes demand FOR
the subscription prize OF his paper
through the mails, accompanied by Il
threat of enforcing such pretended laws
I'm the case the demand is not compiled
with. may be prosecuted for attempting
10 obtain money under false pretences,
nrovided he knows that such so-calied
laws have no existence as laws or de
cisons of the court.