The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-02-24
TO STOP LOTTERIES
Foreign Agents Give Post Office
Officials Much Trouble.
Vigilance and Drastic Methods of the
One Almost Matched by the In
genuity of the Other
Fraud Orders Help.

Washington.-The post Office depart
ment is determined to stop the opera
ton of European lottery agents in the
United States, and SO stringent have
become the departments rulings in
this matter that newspaper was
warned by the department recently
that it must not print again the re-
suit of lottery winnings abroad. The
same dispatch was published in many
other papers, but the postmaster of
the city in which the newspaper re-
ferred to is published came near con-
fiscating the entire mail edition of the
paper in his town.
Either through ignorance of Ameri-
can laws or through hope of evad-
ing those same statutes, foreign lot
terry concerns annually flood the
United States with thousands of cir
culars advertising foreign lotteries.
There is no check on the mailing of
these advertisements abroad, as the
foreign postal laws do not prevent the
use of the mails for such purposes.
Usually the foreign lottery men will
mail a big batch of circulars to the
United States, addressed to promi-
nent business men in various cities.
The usual appeal of the advertise
ments is based on the statement that
many of the wealthy families of for
eign countries are participating and
that the winnings are so considerable
that a well-to-do business man can
afford to take a small chance.
The very volume of these circulars
is what usually results in their de-
lection. When a quantity is received
at New York or some other port of
mail entry the post Office officials usu-
ally suspect their real nature, and
across the face of each letter they
stamp a notice to the postmaster at
the letters destination that it is sup
posed to contain unavailable matter.
This means that when the postmaster
at Chicago. for instance, or one of his
employees comes across the letter it
is held and the addresses required
to come to the Office and open the let
ter in the presence of post office OIL
cial In this way the department Of
ficials learn the contents. and in case
the letter was mailed by lottery con-
Germ abroad the department issues a
fraud order against it.
It is impossible, of course, to stop
all mail matter coming into the Uni
- C+o+oc fr0ro ithaca firms Tn ia IF
a great deal may slip in after the
passing of the fraud order, because
the lottery concern is usually wise
enough to keep it's name off the out
side of the nevelope. But no matter
how it may flood the country with
literature it is altogether another mat
ter for the recipient on this side to
answer.
Notice of the fraud order has been
issued meanwhile to the postmaster
at New York and to all other points
of foreign mail entry and egress. The
department will not permit the dis
patching of letters or mail of any
kind to the concern or individuals
who have been posted" A prosecu-
ton, however, cannot follow on evil
dence contained in the letter ad-
dressed to the lottery concern. The
American may be mailing money for
a lottery ticket and thereby violating
the law, but the department cannot
open the letter. 1t is properly stamped
and returned to the sender, with a
notice that no mail is carried by the
government for the individual or cor
poration to which it is addressed. And
that usually ends the efforts of the
American to get a ticket. unless he
happens to have friend abroad, or