The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-03-05
A FLOOD or 10 rTERtEB.

A FLOOD or LOTTERIES.
| movement appears 10 bs on foot to flood
the State with lottery companies and policy
shops under the plea of adding 10 the sduoa-
tional fund. In other words. In order 70 In
crease the fund 10 bs applied to the lBstrug-
fion and elevation of the youth Of the State
under one set of tutors, ths ilopdgatss and
barriers which sentiment hostile to this
business. and which regarded It's jntlusnes az
pernieloun, had established. arc ~ bs
raised, gu that a lottery era similar 10 the
gam bling carnival of 1868 to 1870 may be In
augurated II n general law be- passed author
izlng the Incorporation of such companies
under notarlal act. II will then become a
serious question for norallsts and edleators
II the eiTsat Of flooding the city and State
with eongsrts VI an irresponsible character
may not work ton times more evil ID ths
growing youth than The amount Vt good de-
rived from funds received from this source
Tho advocates Of this law attempt 10 show
that article tG7 of the constitution eontetn@
plated the passage Of such general law.
On the contrary. tho language u tho article
1871 and the proceedings 81 che constitutional
convention. considered together. leave no
room for doubt as to tho spirit and intention
Or the article. !
The last provfso renitea "that all charters
shall cease and expire on the first of Jann-
AIRY. 1906. from which time all lotteries are
prohibited In tho stats." This would indi-
cato that tho convention did not regard lot
tsries NJ desirable Or for tho good of the poo
l..tA t4..t .a.A NM,
time.
The Convention would searcely have bssn
so inconsistent ~ 10 virtually deelars this
business MI evil In one sentence. aud In an
other encourage its general establishment.
Fortunately however. we are not left In doubt
as to tho intention Of the convention. boz
cause tho proposition now advanced
Was specifically presented In tho sixty
third days proceedings, VIZ:
Mr.. Vance offered the following amendment
TO article 2o:
i ~ ss y e aG ssl sG Il ns shs Y2Bs H.
"Lottery privileges are hereby granted 70
Of san ve on ey ' sny !" ays By
Into lie treasury ct tho state.s after the word
yiasls r. ae B. insert the words pro
On The motion Of Mr.. Quinn ID CHAM. accepted
by Mr Vance " amsndineni yas ,.,us'lash by
eeftiuE "one hundred thousand dollars"
Mr. Lunkett moved o amend the amendment
thoaeael aollare and INSERTING dity thousand
dollars
On fho motion Of Mr.. Bridger the pending
amendments were laid upon tho table.
Tho constitution gives the General Assem-
bly, authority 10 grant lottery charters or
privileges, provided each charter or prlvl-
lege shall pay not less than forty thousand
dollars per annum, aud the convention
clearly indicated by the language used and
Ia the vote defeating the proposition to ex-
tend lottery privileges to any person or per-
sons upon the payment Of the same amount.
that In dealing with this business they
intended that the General Assembly
should pass specifically upon the char
aeter, reliability and composition Of any
aud every company that should engage In
the business, In order that oil possible safe-
guards should DO thrown around the public
II was clear to avery person at tho time,
that the adjustment with the Louisiana Lot
terry Company. and the provision permitting
that company to continue until specified
time, was because Of the fact that the con-
vention recognized the existence Of vested
rights which IL was doubtful II they could
impair, and failure 10 adjust the matter
might have plunged the State into litigation
and deprived her Of the revenue. In this
view Of the case, although tho sentiment OF
tho convention WAS clearly against lotteries,
article 1G7 was adopted.
There 10 no concealinR the fact that large
number Of the people OF this State are OPP
posed to lotteries from religious or moral
conviction; 1t is quite certain that nine-tenths
Of the right thinking people would DO OPP
posed to flooding the State with them, and II
other companies are to be chartered by the
Legislature, they should each BIO operated
under charter which will afford every men,
Der OF the General Assembly an opportunity
to see that the parties are responsible and re-
liable, and that II the public must submit to
additional lottery companies that they will
not be conducted In tho manner OF the hum
dreds OF concerns which are daily robbing the
people OF nearly every section of the country.
CURRENT TOPICS.