Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1840-01-28
ron THE TINES
T.

.aw dust and cabbage Tor q fortnight ONERSHOE.
ron THE TIME,
LOTTERIES.
To tie General Assembly If Iirrisia-
GESrLssrS I find in the Richmond Wing Of the
2lsi January, 1910. a communication over the sigma.
turc Of" \ Citizen" on the subject Of Lotteries. ] wish
To call the attention Of Inc General Assembly partici-
larly TO this article. A Citizen commences by assu-
ming it as a fact. that the hill reported by the commit
tee on Cour,s of Justice, IL passed. would food the
Commonwealth with the lottery system | am per
iectly aware that there 8 n strong prejudice existing
against lotteries. and ihis is one OF the reasons why A
Citizen has attempted to conceal behind the curtain
Of this strong prejudice his contemplate and seryilc
hyPocrisy--he lays the Galtering uEoton 10 his soul
that the legislature will swallow his silded pill with
nut ~analyzng It 10 sce if IL does no, contain certain
quantities of prussic acid or arsenic. II he believed
the legislature possessed N much practical knowledge
of lotteries as he docs himself he never would have
I had the impudcnce and assurance To have writ,ensuch
4 communication with the design Of influencing the
action of the General Assembly-he would have
known it would have been treated with that contempt
that 1t would richly merit lie puts on n long, grave
face. and asks whether the legislature will. Ivy passing
the bill, food the State with the lottery system , lie
would persuade you to believe that such was The fact,
but every man who will make himself acquainted with
Tie subject, III find That IL is utterly false. So FIR as
he wishes TO convey the idea or prove that the evil OF
lotteries will he increased, that the aggregate amount
Of money expended in lottery tickets will he greater
after the passage OF the bill. I contend and can prov e
most satisfactorily To every member ofthe House. that
such would not be the fact consequent upon The pas
sage Of the bill and ih,i, in passing the bill. the
House would do but sheer justice. without affecting. in
tho very rcmOtest degree, the " settled policy" of tho
State.
The manager Of every lottery contract, has no, only
the privilege of ESTABLISHING agents in every county
ia The State, but also, tIai % drawing n lottery in 50
" 500 places throughout the State the same day.
Every Scwspa?cr il now filled with lottery schemes.
and any one, unlcquaintcd with the subject, on look
ing over them, would conclude at once that the greater
number Of contracts the greater number of lotteries.
Nothing more allacIous-suppose Ivy way al illustra-
ton. Gregory 4 Go. had but one contract. they could
draw under u until 1t expired by limitation. as many
lotteries as they found il tothcir interest. For instance.
hey would have the following classes drawn on the
same day in rs many different cities. Regular class ].
10 be drawn in Richmond-EHira class ], 10 draw Ia
Observation-Disclosures class 4, To draw in Norfolk,
and Extra cls.s \, 10 be drawn IN Frcdercksburgh,
and 50 they would 90 on al igfaiUrs - Ear ns Il was
10 their interest. Docs rot every msmbcT Of the house
sec ~ once the deception a citizen wishes o. practice
on ihem-he would have yoI 10 believe that every
tickeiin every lottery published was sold, AM cons.
quenty he more contracts the more tickets would bc
sold. According TO his implied reasoning. II the lie.
/ sislature would make lotteries enough, in n very short
time the whole State. money. property and all, wolld
belong 10 the managers or contractors Of these grant.
II the General Assembly have not informed themselves
on this subject, ] am desirous Of throwing some light
upon H. some are no doubt under the impression
that a majority OF tickets are sold in each lottery adver.
Used. Way, | know the fact. that not one " cntich
part of the tickets on an average in any loticry are sold.
H. AZ a citizen contends. the aggregate amount Of
sales would he increased by the passage Of this act
how comes it hat Gregory & Co. do not sell one TWEEN
i.cth part Of the tickets on an average IN their lOte-
ries. l. II. | ask, for the want ofngcnis. or is IL because
they are no, sufficiently advertised No, every
newspaper is filed with them, and every town Of
sufficient population has il lottery agent for ID. s. Gre
CORY & 90 Suppose the Legislature pass the bill, and
Gregory a Co. purchase every lottery grant. he could
not, land ] defy proof TO the contrary dispose Of sny
moro tickets under one hundred contracts than he
could under those they now have. & what would be- the
difference II these grants we're purchased by other in.
dividuals han Gregory & Cot There would be none
~ the aggregate amount Of sales. A citizen would
have you believe that all these grants that have been
lying dormant for n half century unconlracuod for,
would be grccdily sought after. The idea is 80 per.
fecily ridiculous that u really deserves no notice. but
I have got on The trail Of this fox IN citizens dress and
I must hunt him down and drag him from his hole.
though NAV tear hs delicate skin in doing it I know
the fact that the commissioners named IN many grants.
after making every eXertiOn IN their power TO dispose
Of der lottery grants. have abandoned it N despair
~rflOuery grants are 50 profitable and there are 90
many ready 10 purchase now. in the event Of the bill
passing how - i that Gregory g. Go. are the only CON
tractors ~ the state. This Of itself ought 10 convince
every man tllt there - not the slightest probability.
That ono m NC thousand 81 thc contracts would De
purch tssd. II would be an impos-ibility Tor a cirzon
90 prove By hs past experience M The business that the
evil could BE- increased by any future comr1cts-.G
he could he would no, do &c by his own sophisiry. he
would have 10 draw on the capital If some Of his
n~eighbor. u would be n very extraordinary phenoms-
non IN monetary concerns Of the country that for
some 20 or 30 yeIrs during n pcriOd Of The greatest
prosperity 81 The country, ~ few lottery contracts
were mlIC--1ud now when the country ~ groanIng
.r4e. -. greatest r~ccariasT Embarrassment she has
over experienced. when alpos; general bankruptcy BE-
staring us iD lie face. and TIE prospect u he future
equally ~ gluomy. When the lottery business not
only in Virginia, bot boz The United States has dimin.
ishsd ,i least fifty per cent Within 3 years .and I Dc.
E contradiction. yet. q citizen has the aulacity iu The
face ct these hcis 70 m'lstc that the state would be-
noJlcd with the luIery system snd that the evil
would b. increased.
A cirycu Informs us chat thrrc rrr only 4 contracts
tlai ore not affected by lho law Of 1891. that one Of.
thesc expires dnrug he present year end tho other
three in some short time after" WHY did be- not tell
you hat NJ least 2 OF the other three would not expire
Tor ~ least 10 years. why did Doc not inform Won aIso
hiatt s Grfr.ry a Co were the ront-atf tors Gor t1e.s
4 grants, Why dd be- rot tell you hat they were en-
Toying a %moDspoly iu he state o. TIE exclusion Of her
own ritxerl Bccausc % would have clashed dfreeIy
with hs own interest need not tell the h5ueo frYm
What quarter this pucuie ottempt 70 Influence .. dc.
s.sou emanstss Whcr Gr-goy& Co fud thcy have
a monopoly On The STATE, deJ may throw mp every
contract but one.
ln thfs way. instsod Of paying some 6 ~ $1,000 for
: or4 loUcry privileges. they wH only retain one NJ \
cosi of orly $1,000. envrassinr y monopoly of tr whole
Ssio 6r $1,000 pr snuUm. hecauss they can Do ~
rash husiuess with ore ron'rsci - hey ran with so
8 '"' p E,''-'- iG!rnl vs's' 4 tss s~'efJS74