The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-20
TIE TRICKY LOTTERY.
THE EFFORTS OF HOWARD AND MOR-
Ras TO CONTROL TIE POST
OFFICE DEPARTMENT..
Buell. Defines His Position Towards the
Louisiana Lott ry and other
Like Institutions.

| Washington, April Is, 1878.
| / have been profoundly astonished, within
the last few days, to learn that had become,
as it were, part and parcel Of the assets of
Charles T. Howard Il Co, owners and mana
gers Of tho Louisiana State Lottery, and les
sees, should Judge, Of q large interest in the
Louisiana State Legislature Now, | had
often heard OF tmpecdnious newspaper men in-
vesting molstles of their meagre salaries from
week TO week In lotteries and things per-
tanning thereto, and | had also infrequently
been appriHed OF rumors to the effect that lot
teries had Invested moeties of their large
| gains In newspaper men But had never as
yet invested any OF my own slender earnings
In lotteries or lottery tickets; an abstention
due not to any Inherent moral scruple per-
| haps 80 much as to the prudential consider
alton OF an antipathy or indisposition to
buck against any game In which / could
neither get deal myself nor watch the
dealer. That Is TO say have always looked
upon the institution OF the lottery as the
most thoroughly sneaking and ill-bred form
OF gaming and upon policy playing as at once
the most vulgar, silly and illogical method of
trying to get money without earning it. /
have indeed played at games of chance in my
manlike advertisement Of draw poker with a
small blind to the more eShileratng and ex-
asperattng hazard OF the green cloth and the
spring box, not to mention election bets
and horse tr0ts But have never yet bought
q lottery ticket or any share in one, prefer
ring to leave that class Of investment to be
monopolzed by cooks, coachmen, chamber
maids, niggers, boot-backs. and, peradven-
ture, m occasional carpet t-bagger. to whose
intellectual focus that species OF fortune
seeking seemed specially adapted.
| / was, therefore,
SORELY SURPRISED
to learn that by way Of doing good to
one who had used them desptefully.
as it wers the lottery men had
| invested In me. The more because I
had never seen nor heard anything Of the
proceeds Of sn0h investment To be more
specific about the matter have been informed
recently that story was rife In the city OF
New Orleans to the effect that my services
had been secured by Messrs Howard and
Morris to assist them In the furtherance of
certain designs regarding the enforcement or
non-enforeement OF certain statutes Of the
| United States.
Now, then, do not make any pretensions
to that severe and awful quality OF virtue
which causes men to bpcome martyrs and
other things OF that sort. In fact, make no
pretensions OF any kind. am at all times to
be seen by persons having schemes to ac-
compish, and who may be of the opinion that
my services would be valuable to them !
have no doubt that Mr. Howard or Mr. Nor
ris could secure my services in behalf of the
furtherance OF the interests thereof, provided
we could agree as to terms 1t is quite likely
that the figure I should rate the value
OF my services at would he considered
exorbltant II not extortionate, by Messrs,
HOWARD AND MORRIS;
but that is the only point on which we would
be likely to disagree At q venture 1 should
say that the Lottery Company could retain
my inestimable services : whatever that
phrase may mean-for trife like ten thou
sand dollars, or something of that sort, pro-
vided, always, that such services did not
involve tItachery to those who had hereto
fore cOnfided in me. or the abuse Of trusts
lodged ia my hands by others, puhlic or pri-
understanding, as a basis upon which to con-
duct any negotiations that the future may
bring forth; and now as 10 facts OF the past:
There is law upon the statute books of the
United states prohibiting the transmission of
immoral or obscene matter through the mails,
and among the things classed as immoral
matter are the circulars and other business
COMMUNICATIONS Of and to lottery com
the interests Of Mr.. Howard and Mr. Morris.
as aforesaid, managers Of the Louisiana State
Lottery Company, by reason OF the fact that
Mr.. Tyner when Postmaster General was
enforcement OF the same. Upon the accession
Of
to the Postmaster Generalship move
ment vas made upon him by Mr..
revocation OF the order of Tyner Mr Key is
an amiable person, albeit of somewhat feeble
mind, and my impression is that he was led
to believe that the institution OF Howard was
a great philanthropy in Disguise 50 to speak,
under the iintoIerabIe oppression Of
an iniqutOus law severely enforced and his
heart bled at the recital. / will not undertake
to say that Mr.. Key would have removed the
oppressive restrictions from Mr.. HoWard's
mail matter had he been left to his own mo-
,ion because that would be assuming some
thing beyond my power to establish as
truth. However, know that Mr. Key ex-
amined the situation. and after iew da vs. in
formed Mr.. Howard attorneys that he did not
see how he could consistently grant the relief
songht. Subsequently had d conversation
with
MR. TYNER
on the subject and from him learned that
as he had issued that order In ac-
cordance with the law wh,n he was Postpaas-
master General, he proposed to stand by it In
his new capacity Of Assistant Postm aster
General and SEQ it enforced. Mr.. Tyner did
not tell me SO In as many words, but he left
me to infer that the whole subject of the lot
terry mails was in his hands aud he proposed
to execute the law
should, perhaps, remark in passing, that
among the attorneys Of Mr.. Howard In WASH
ngtn was person Of the name Of West,
who acted Tor some time in lieu Of a Senator
from Louisiana.
But this is not material To resume:
heard no more Of Mr.. Howard or his mails
'Or some time after the failure nf this attempt
10 secure a favorable construction Of the law
by the Postoffice authorities. In fact, the
whole matter had nearly Iassed out Of my
nina when saw it announced one day about
our weeks ago, more or less, that an able
lawyer Of Cincinnati Charles w. Moulton by