The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-05


count Of It's business, the number of tickets
sold and the money won. These can only be
guessed at. A suit, however, by the Farmers
| and Drovers Bank OF Louisville against the
Public Library Of Kentucky enables us TO get
an inside view Of the lottery business. its
ways, It's customs It's profits and It's tricks.
The Public Library Lottery of Kentucky is n
close imitation Of the Louisiana State Lot
terry. Indeed. It's charter was almost copy
OF that of our home institution, and It's his
tory is SO similar that we can pretty well I'M
derstand the private history Of the Louisiana
State Lottery by studying that Of
tho Louisville concern. The charter Of
the latter concern was passed by the
Kentucky Legislature In 1871. Like that Of
the Louisiana State Lottery Com pany, it did
not profess to create any such base institu-
ton rs lottery company, or grand gam
bling scheme, but passed the Legislature az
Fan act to incorporate the Kentucky State Pub
lie Library" This act authorized the dra wing
Of q lottery to furnish this library with funds
and books. Only one drawing was made I'M
der the original regime, The company then
here again like the Louisiana State Lottery
sold its franchises to % sub-company, which
agreed TO draw tho lottery schemes
semi-annually, or oftener, and pay
tho library certain percentage OF tho
earnings. Then began the drawing Of the
several grand schemes. 10 the following or
der: First drawing. tickets sold. s35O,O0o;
prizes paid, $4,000; paid the library.
s26, tst %. Second drawing, $4,000 In tickets
sold; $4,000 distributed in prizes s122.0
paid to the library. Third drawing. 81, 900. 900
in tickets solo, 100000 paid In prizes:
800 900 paid TO the library. Fourth drawing.
s2.251,D0O in tickets sold; 81 100000 paid In
prizes; $t00,n00 given to the library. Fifth
drawing, $igO0000 In tickets Sold $3.50, 900
paid In prizes. and 100000 paid the library.
The total shows $G,250,0 900 Of tickets sold,
s3,112,500 paid In prizes, 1924, 39es 80 paid to
the library, and $2,6s3, 103 g. un accounted
for, to be divided between those who iran"
the lottery.
1t will be noticed that while the receipts
from the sale of tickets constantly increase
at each drawing, the percentage OF the money
paid In prizes decrease Thus hfty-fve per
cent Of the net earnings was distributed at
the first drawing, fifty per cent only In tho
second, and only forty-seven per cent in the
last
And now about the Public Library for
whose benefit these drawings were made.
Last year the library was found In q most
deplorable and bankrupt condition. 1t had
erected, 1t is true, n fine building. but this
building was heavily encumbered with mort
cages; 1t boosted OF some eight thousand
volumes, but these volumes were most Of
them, collected from the city libraries Of
and few Of them were Of recent
purchase. In such An unpromising condition
were the affairs Of the Kentucky Public LII
brary Company, that the Legislature trans
ferred It's assets. books and building to the
Louisville Polytechnic Society, In hopes that
this society would be able to revive
II, and do something to make 1t
success. This scheme, however, also
failed. A suit was brought against the Ii |
brary for $4,000 some months ago and the |
Society was unable to pay it. |
This suit has given the world an Inside view |
of the Librarys affairs. Its four hundred |
dollars have almost altogether dis
in most my sterioas manner. and |
It's assets now amount to less than 100000 |
1t Is in debt further to O. greater amount than
these asset Sin other words, IL Is totally |
bankrupt. or the S3,10S, 300 OF earnings OF |
,he Louisville Public Library Lottery there |
10 nothing to be seen to-day save the palatial |
OF Its directors and managers