, 1874-04-04
halt the receipts to tako q positlon aa DON.
THE LOUISVILLE LOTTERY.

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! duotor
THE L0U1sv1LLE LOTTERY.
Lilo Louisville Lottery has Just closed under
dlogracoful circumstances and surroundings.
All lottoros aro essentially dishonest, tho differ
enoe between them boing In dogroo only. It Is
no answer to say that the object of this ono was
commondablc. Tho end oannot justify tho
means. The State OF Kontuoky, In o moment Of
woakhoHB, authorized certain poraonB, acting aa
IruHtcoa for tho Public Library OF LouiHville to
draw five lottor1os. Four Of thoso havo boon
spawned, md now The fifth and last OF the sorea
is advertised. Thia last ono proposes to soil
100000 tickets at s50 tiokot, or In tho aggrc-
cato $4,000, 900, and to distribute ono-half tint
sum as prizes.
The best commentary on this lottery businoss
or The ono that will most foroibly strike 8 largo
body OF tho public fs, that tho not profits Of tho
hrst throo Of tho Horios did not oxooed $40 900
to 0,000. and this waa tho result OF gambling
with three or four millions Of dollars Of other
peoples money. What tho roault Of tho fourth
has boon ia not yot made public. Forly-avo
thousand tickets woro sold at s50 ench, or for
s2,225,00o. Tint was the sum paid by tho orodu-
lous fools WHO invested thoir money In tho short
out to woalth.. 1t was attempted to soil tlroo
million dollars worth Of tickets. but tho at-
tomps failod. Tho prizes woro proportionately
eoalod down, and 81 500 was sot apart for dis.
trbution. In other words, tho Trueteos of tho
Public Library at Louisville borrowed 90, 25o, 900
and paid the loan at 60 conts on the dollar. To
the ordinary readcr, tho presumption ia TINT the
other 80 conts on tho dollar Is held as an ontow-
ment Of the Public Library. But not 80 Judg-
ing by tho results Of tho three previous 1ottoros
1T will be good thing il tho Library nots
$75.0oo from the last shuttle. The "oxpenses"
OF such things aro enormous. Gambling
honBos always pay nboral wagos.-1iye
t1mcH the amount paid for equal services In
honest business. Then tho selling of tickets is
Illegal III noarly every Stato Of the country. md
high commissions hare to be paid to tue whole
sa1o and retan doalers; the risk Of prosecution
and the woar aud toar Of character in tho dis
reputable aud illegal trade havo to bo paid for ut
extravagant rates. Tho contldenco-oporator
who shovos bogus check on groenhorn is
willing to leave m Immense margin for the COM
paratiVely small amount OF good money ho gets
out Of his victim. We suppose that, from first
to last. the commiaaiona for peddling the ticlota
reach 25 per cont Of the sales. Then thore
ig bill for advertising. Tho lottery de-.
ponds for SUCCESS upon having its allur-
Ing schemes kept constantly before the
public, md in evory possible locality.
Printing aud advertising probably consume
10 p6r cont moro Of the receipts. Then there
aro the salaries and allowances and expenses of
tho high funotionarfes Of evory degree who arc
connected with It aud these, with countless
ltems Of detailed expenditure, 30 draw upon tho
profits aftor paying tho prizos TINT tho unfortu-
nato Library in whose namo tho whole schema of
gambling is perpotrated gots only tho fragment
that is left Putting tho profits Of this last lot
terry at 100000, tho Library will got less than
per cent Of the money drawn In ita name from
tile $4,000 people who bought tickets. OF each
$50 paid for atc1set, less than SO will pass to tho
Library. Tho whole thing is fraud. The real
endowment Is TINT Of the college Of managers.
directors, agents, and t1ckot-sollors, WHO divide
tho proceeds among themselves as salaries, COM
and expenses. -
1t Is time that public opinion should bo oxer-
cised to arrest tho further progroas Of this
monstrous fraud. Thoro ia nothing more demor-
alizing than 1ottorioE. It Is the most seductive
form of gambling. There is hardly q village iu the
Woat whore one or moro Of thcso tickets have
not been ao1d. There is not workshop, nor
mine, nor any collection Of workingmon whore
there hayo not boon tickets sold, each man
clubbing in Ills 95 or $40, to DO sent to Louis
vile to support the boss gamblers and gentoel
loafers who bnyo advertised to ondow tho
Louisville Public Library. In hundreds Of cases,
boys, md girls, aud widows have been coaxed
to Send their Boanty savings to inyost in this
heartloss scheme.
The laws of most OF tho States expressly pro-
hibit tho sale Of lottery tickets, aud it ia time
that public opinion required TINT theBo Laws DO
nnforced by tho prompt punishment of oyory
person who ahall offer ticket for sa1o. It is
not alone in tho cities that theao tickots are
sold. but all through tho State, In small towna |
Ind villages. Tho country has tolerated tho |
sale Of tiokos in fous Of those lotteries, aud, as
Kentucky has not intorforod to abolish them. 1t
becomoa the duty Of other States to protect their
people from tho further prosecution Of the fraud
within their territory.
TEE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA INVEsTIGA- ]
TION.
The Associated pross dispatches about tho |
uynnttgnttcu irfn D{atr}ct afYotra In m oto,r,.