The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-03-12
D. S. WAGES WAR
ON LOTTERY
AGENTS
Vigilance and Drastic Methods
Almost Matched by Ingenu-
ity of SWinhers.

WASHINGTON, Mar. 11.-Thn post.
otfico department Is determined to stoI
tho operation OF European lottery
agents In the United States, and sc
stringent have become the depart
ment's rulings in this matter that i
middle western newspaper was warneC
by the department recently that i
must not print again the result Of
lottery winnings abroad. The same
dispatch was published in many other
papers. but the postmaster of middle
western city came near conllscatinl
the entire mail edition Of the paper IL
his town.
Either through ignorance of Amer.
lean laws or through hope of evAd'
ing those same statutes, foreign lot
terry concerns annually food 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 big batch of circulars to
the United States, addressed to prom
tnent business men In various cities
The usual appeal of the advertise
nents 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 q well to do business man can
a1ord to take small chance.
Volume Betrays Them.
The very volume Of thees circulars
ia what usually results in their detec-
ton. When quantity is received
at New York or some other port OF
mail entry the postoftice officials US
ually suspect their real nature, and
across the face of each letter they
stamp a notice to the postmaster al
the letters destination that 1t Is sup
posed to contain unavailable matter.
This means that when the postmaster
at Chicago, for instance, or one Of his
employees, come across the letter ii
is held and the addresses required
to come to the Office and open the LETT
ter in the presence Of postottlce of
fetal In this way the department Of
fiCials learn the contents and in case
the letter was mailed by a lottery con-
Germ abroad the department issues a
fraud order against 1t.
1t Ia impossible, Of course, to stop
all mail matter coming into the Unit
ed States from these firms. In fact a
great deal may slip In after the pass
ing Of the fraud order, because the
lottery concern Is usually wise enough
to keep its name off the outside OF
the envelope. But no matter how II
may food the country with literature
1t is altogether another matter for the
recipient on this side to answer.
The Fraud Order.
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 addressed
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 re-
turned to the sender, with q notice
that no mail Is carried by the govern
ment for the individual or corporation
to which 1t Is addressed. And that
usually ends the efforts OF the Amer
lean to get ticket, unless he hap
pens to have a friend abroad, or I'M
less he cares to use the cable, which
is a very expensive proposition.
In this country the law Is SO gen
orally known that few persons try 10
put across an actual lottery. They
usually try to rig UP virtual lottery
SO disguised as to escape the detec-
ton of the department. 1t speaks
we'll for American ingenuity, however
to say that the variety and number oil
these home made schemes defy
enumeration.
Various Disgulses.
Many OF them masquerade as con
tests OF skill, and some are so skill
fully rugged UP from a legal point
OF view that 1t requires the closest
analysis and study to arrive at their
real nature. These include so-callet
investment schemes. home buying
propositions. endless chain ideas and
the like. Newspapers are frequent Of.
tenders in their efforts to increase cir.
culation. "A warning, however. from
the post Office officials Is usually SUI.
flclent to cause an abandonment Of
the scheme.
One newspaper. however. appealed
to the courts from the decision o.
the postotfice officials Is usually sut
nit copies OF the paper to go through
the mails SO long as it published 9
scheme which the department sale
was q lottery. The court refused tt
hold for the publisher.
Figures compiled by the depart.
ment show how we'll the foreign lot
terry schemes have been nibped OF
this side OF the water. During TIL,
last fiscal year only eighteen fraud
orders against foreign lottery con
Germs were considered necessary
whereas during the previous year thu
department issued 1913. Many Amer
leans who receive letters from for
eign lottery agents send the letters
and literature to either the postotflct
department or to the department O
iuRtice