The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-28
LOTTERY COMPANIES.


washington Letter in Brooklyn Eagle.
The decision of the United States SUI
preme Court upholding the contention of
the government that it IS unlawful to send
lottery tickets from one State to another
by other means than the United States
mails. will be followed up by a strict
prosecution of all those whom the special
agents of the government find are engaged
in the lottery and policy business.
1t is known that the traffic in these IL
legal enterprises runs up into hundreds of
thousands. if not millions, of dollars every
year. and it is the intention of the author
tiles to stamp it out completely, now that
the highest court of the land has held
that the shipment of lottery tickets from
one Safe to another by means of express
companies is unlawful.
Much difficulty will surround the work
of running to earth the persons who are
conducting lotteries in this country owing
to the close secrecy which is always OBJ
served in regard to their operations State
and federal laws prohibit the business.
and heavy penalties are provided for those
who manage and act as agents for the
various companies. But the margin of
profit Is so large that there are always
10 run the risk of capture and punishment
for the generous salaries that are paid for
going about and drumming up business
- In the prosecution OF the cases before this
Supreme Court the officers of the Depart
ment of Justice learned much about the op-
Grafton OF these concerns, and also OBJ
tanned much valuable information which
Will be useful In prosecutions to drive the
of the United States. Most of the companies
are chartered in the South American coun-
tries, but they depend largely upon people
in the United States for their support.
Many of them also have their printing done
in this country The favorite method of
recent years has been to transmit coupons
from State to State by means of express
companies. This business was so GENERAL.
especially throughout the West, that a
proposition was last year brought up in the
Legislature of Nevada that the State
should charter lottery company to op-
crate in the State. charging heavy license
fees and really run IL for the benefit of the
commonwealth. This proposal was made
because of the inability of the state author
tiles to keep out the regular agents of the
big companies operating from South Amer
lean countries, who brought in their
coupons by the express companies. 1t was
thought IL charter were to be given to a
state company the drawings would be fair
and square and the desire of the people to
gamble in lotteries could be gratified at the
same time.
The credit for the successful fight which
has just been terminated against lottery
companies belongs to Assistant Attorney
General James Nj. Beck. who had sole
charge of the governments case. In fact,
the lottery suits might almost be said to
have been his hobby, for he has been push
ing them for the past five or six years
making the initial step TO crowd the COM
panies out of the United States. The fact
that he was opposed in the Supreme Court
by the ablest counsel the lottery people
could engage makes his victory all the
more impressive. Among those represent
ing the lottery and express companies were
ex-senator George +. Edmunds, ex-Secre-
tary John G. Carlisle. James c. Carter
and William D. Guthrie.
The government won its suit on the claim
that the sending of lottery tickets by ex-
constitutes an act of Interstate commerce
and as such, was prohibited by the anti
lottery act of 1885.