The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-09
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A MORAL PLAGUE.

Tho sole object tho DEMOCRAT originally hat
IN moving against tho Louisiana State Lottor,
was TO destroy great and pcTniCiOus poit
cal engine which had been created, through
corrupt Legislation, i'm our midst The crea
ture of Radicalism. the Lottery had upheld
that party in this State and constituted lit
orally part and parcel Of a government il
which all distinction between the executive
the judiciary, the Legislative departments
and the rings and mOnOpOlies was practic
ally OblitCratcd. and a grand combination
made amongst them all to run the State In
| their peculiar interests. When the IIsurpator
! could no longer withstand the wrath OF the
| people and RadCalSm was overwhelmed by
| the popular uprising. the Lottery Company
marched over with banners Tying into the
| victorious camp. This was perfectly natural
! The lottery Is one of those immoral nsti5u-
| lions which are prohibited in all cnlghteIpi
| communities, and exists here in opposition TO
| the policy of the law. II, therefore. nccessar-
| ly has no political theory save Misrepresentation
| of its existence and the protection Of its Ill
got franchises. This political theory forces it
always to join the government party and to
desert its political allies in the moment Of
their defeat. Hence, as we have said, it was
perfectly natural for the lottery to become
the most furious champion of the Democracy
and malignant enemy OF the Radical
party the moment it became evident that the
Democratic government was to be established.
We had no objection to this But when the
lottery actually claimed the party
and. while the people werO cargcrIy
waiting for the sweeping reforms that had
been promised, began to impose upon the
new regime the old, rotten aud rppulsve
methods of RadtCalism, and attempted. and
actually partially succeeded, to control
the legislation of Democratic Legislature.
against the wishes Of the people and in the in
terpst Of itself and other rings and mOnOpO-
lies, we realized the necessity Of destroying
it and emancipating The party and the State
from the domination Of an institution. the pur-
pose of which was to thwart every real meas
ure of reform and dcbase the reform ad-
ministratiOn TO a level with Radicalism
This was our sole original object In insti-
tutng this crusade against tho lottery. and it
is our chief object now in prosecuting 1t. But
as we stirred the l0athesOme pool, from its
dark and hitherto untrOublod waters. shapes
of crime, and misery, aud piteOus lunacy have
arisen in swarming multitudes, rs if sum
moncd from the deep by some cunning spell,
to touch our hearts and excite at once our
sympathy and disgust
The political aspect of this contest between
the DEMOCRAT and the lottery is of vital inn
portance to every citizen of the State; but the
moral aspect of it, developed by our investi-
cations, should especially enlist in our support
nf ihiq off
What would the Christian people of New
Orleans think if they should learn, through
our Geographic columns this morning, that
in Boston, or Philadelphia or New York, or in
any other city, the government had licensed a
school to educate men, women and children to
be gamblers, and that the amount of the
license was TO be applied to the support of the
charitable institutions of the city? We be-
leve they would be inexpressibly shocked;
we believe they would be Mortified and indig-
nant. And yet, that is precisely the sort of
an institution which, under the laws and pro-
tected by the laws of the State Of Louisiana,
exists in this city, and Is known as the Louis
lana State Lottery Company.
Those who have followed up our invostiga-
ton into the effects Of this institution upon
the public morals musb COnCCdC that this is
true The scheme of tho lottery is so deity
and wisely adapted to its perniciOus purposes,
that its affords the opportunity and tempts
every class of the community to play and
thus it infeCts the whole body of society. With
a cold -blOoded cruelty; with a sort of fiendish
heartlcssness, it preys most successfully
the poorest and most ignorant people We
hrNr., thn
of winning prize in this institution. yet it
presents its scheme to the ignorant. and
Credulous, promising them chance for
little fortune for twenty-five cents.
Occasionally we hear that somebody has
drawn a prize, and considerable sums are
spent by the company to advertise the fact
| This but aggravates the swindle and the
cruelty: If no prizes We're ever drawn. even
the most abject and infatuated victim Of the
| lottery would grow hopeless and cease to risk
his pittanCe In such ventures It Is wise,
therefore, Oh the part of the management to
permit prizes to be drawn occasionally and
to blaZon to the world. The miserable crea-
ture who has for months been buying tickets
in vain; the clerk who has been piIfering
money from his employer to invest; the in
fatuated man or woman who has lost hun
dreds, nay, thousands of dollars in trying to
win prize, after time grow sick at heart
by hope deferred, and begin to despair. But
when the advertisement appears stating that
somebody has won prize and been paid In
full, the fever seizes upon the miserable vic
Tins with renewed intensity new hopes ami
mate their breasts; they feel as if they were
at last about to realize their expectations:
they renew the hopeless playing with a still
tiercer ardOr, and risk and loose every dollar
they can procure without the shadow of a
chance to win.
The passion for this sort of gambling
already infects the great mass of the peo-
pie, especially the poorer and more ignorant
classes. The twenty-five cent tickets are
within the reach of the poorest people, and
thus many thousands who otherwise