The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-20

IuhtS IL. Itub ~ tiS IlObtlr rs W De w
Tended and sustained on the ground that
It's forty Thousand dollar tax Is necessary
TO sustain n great public charity; II the
contributions II makes to churches and
asylums may purchase for 1t indulgences
from Protestant and Catholic alike II the
poor. ignorant wretches on whose dcluslona.
eager hopes and bitter dsappontments and
miseries II fatiens are to be debauched and
plunged still deeper into tho mire and dark
ness Of poverty; II, we say, this is the judg
ment Of the people Of Louisiana and New Or
leans, the judgment of the members of the
Louisiana Legislature the solemn pronounce
ment Of the Christian minister's and congre-
cations oi this great city, then we bow In
humble acqulescence.
| We accept without further protest the de
cision Of such august Judges, iuries and courts
| eccIcsinstical
People Of Louisiana Citiznns Of New Or
leans Christian ministers and congregations
Senators AMI Representatives Of the State !
If the Louisiana State LOTTERY outlawed In
every State Of tho Union, whore It's agents are
hunted down hy the police and jailed as com
mon swindlers, Is worthy Of your countenance
and necessary to support the Charity Hos
pital, we acuuiesce In its existence, but, then
let us make II truly a public benefit Under tho
present system the vast profits Of the Lottery
Company, excluding tho pitiful sum Of forty
thousand dollars, are paid into the hands of q
few rich and arbitrary individuals who use
their power and money TO the detriment Of
the public and to sustain their monopoly
These revenues should be received by the
lat In q, A trio
wick and Italy the lotteries are under the con
troll OF tho respective governments, and the
large profits derived from them are devoted
exclusively to the maintenance of the chart
table institutions Of those nations. Not
dollar of tho profits goes into tho pocket of
any specuator monopolist, ringster or cor
poration. Bad rs the effects of lotteries are
on public morals. under this system they have
something To redeem them from absolute con
domination and responsiveness.
The earnings ol the Louisiana Lottery Com
pany, on n low estimate, exceed rather than
fall below ono million five hundred Thousand
dollars per aunum. Forty thousand dol
lars only of this enormous sum Is
paid to our charities: tho residue
goes into the pockets Of Charles ].
the fundamentally of this vast revenue that
they are able TO buy up newspapers or break
them down, control conventions and Iegisla-
lures, buy courts. hire spies, persecute their
honest enemies, debauch the morals Of the
people and corrupt the politics Of the State |
If the forty Thousand dollar argument In |
favor Of the Charity Hospital is n sound ono
on which to sustain the lottery the one mil |
lion five hundred thousand dollar argument
In favor Of tho State and its tax ridden people
is better one on which to transfer 1t from
the control Of a corporation to the control Of
tho State.
We accept the necessity Of the LOTTERY; but |
In accepting It we demand that tho Legislature
shall enact such legislation as will give to the |
State all tho benefit Of the institution, leaving
the present corporation to seek such damages
in tho courts as they may sustain by tho
enactment. The Lottery revenues transferred
to the State and city treasury will supply
tho State with ample funds and pay tho |
interest on the debt, and furnish a sinking
fund; or they will furnish means to institute
and carry out In New Orleans sanitary sys-
tenn which will make this the healthiest, |
coolest, and most beautiful city in the Union |
or they will be amply sufficient to sustain in
n state Of comfort every charitable institu-
tion every orphan, insane. and blind and deaf
asylum, and every hospital. house Of refuge,
or home for tho poor and destitute In the |
broad limits Of Louisiana
Then, II we are 10 have the Lottery let the
state lot tho people, the taxpayers, tho
workngmen, the insane, tho iniirm. tho
tho widow and tho orphan have
the benefit of it; let humanity, in tho
that its revenues levied upon the |
vices Of mankind in every town and section Of
the Union can protect New Orleans and tho
Southwest from the ravageS Of yellow fever, |
have the benefit of it.
We may not agree with any member Of tho
incoming Legislature who may propose such |
n srheme rs this rs the basis Of his support /
of the Lottery, but we shall not denounce or
oppose him. He will surely have the blessings
If tho churches, of tho orphans and Of tho
bondholiers and people who want protection