The daily gazette., 1883-05-29
AN Ill EoAL LOTTERY.

rns Recent Criminal Indictments Against
the eomnI0pwealeh Distribution Com
pany. ta-
tFFan ire tsu,.Stl :, cKsx::, &: oOurisr-JOSrniiy
. aTogtEs EDITOR Of the CoWFisr-. .IostrNdl -
White the material and commercial interests
Of dLouisvile are so nVidently advancing,
ap90od citizens find qualification In certain
decided tendencies toward improvement Of
our city's moral condition. One Of the best
things that could have been done for sound
morals AMI for the good name of the city
abroad, is the bIow struck by the Grand Jury
last Tuesday { the Commonwealth Dstribu.
tion Com l,aiiy In bsInging indictments against
the four or five persons whose names appear
on the surface in its alleged monthly draw
| iuvs, These indictments are against h. NJ.
Boardman, the nominal manager Of the
coppany, and D. G. McNairy, w. D. Cow
| ling, J. M Womack and Theo. b. Boyd,
who each month assist III going through the
motions OF drawing, and were brought
under a section Of General Statutes, article
Twenty three, Ghapter twenty nine, chapter
of crimes and punisbmepts, articlr oil lot
teries, which reads as follows
stWhoever shall set up, draw, manage or
lotherwise promote any lottery for money or
other thing. or dispose of or promise the
disposiBg of any money or thing of value
by way of lottery, or aid In nemmitiing
either of said offenses, shau be ined from
$500 to $40 ,O0O."
If. now, these indictments shall be vigor-
ously pushed under the State laws, and If
the laws shall be fairly enforced up to The
point OF driving this illegal and fraudulent
concern out of existence, real servi,e v i'll
be done to the repute and well-being OF the
city.
The wonder as to this concern 10, that all
while who know anything about such mai
ters know that each day of its existence is a
violation OF law, and while the universal i'm
preston is that it is not honestly conducted
as to its ticket holders, it has grown and
thriven without serious opposition. What
is eyerybody's business is nooody's business
and SO no effective hand has
been raised against an institu
ton that is universally condemned
and is destitute of toHfdence in the city
where it has done business for several years
where, if it should have friends at all, il
should most readily find them. But it
, field is outside of Louisville and Kentucky
and 1t has been successful enough in deceiv
ing the distant public to exc out reasoDa
bly profitable existence. NOw that the
or nd jury has found presentments agaius
the company let us see whether the law't
administrators will do their plain duty, and
whether public sentiment will support thi
righteous and desirable movement agains
it.
People who ire informed as to the work
ings of lotteries hereabout know that thi
a | Commonwealth Distribution Company dit
3 secure and at first operate under a lega
:. charter or grant, and that its first 10 draw
- ings were conducted under form of law
j. whatever may be said Of their honesty. Blu
e utter those drawings were concluded and fo
e several years past, The company has had II
= legal standing whatever. 1t has claimed {
: work first under one and then under az
IL other class or grant of other concerns whic
r We're assumed to have legal foothold; but a.
: such claims, when put to the test, have bee
, found utterly baseless. 1t has not dared +
advertise its schemes in Kentucky news
papers. Its tickets cannot be bought in Ken
lucky. 1t cannot get 3 money -order cashet
, nor receive registered letter at Its owp pos
t office. 1t has no legal rights whatever
, There is not a reputable business man II
Louisville who Will say one word 10 1t
favor, but, on the contrary, there is not on
: who has any knowledge Of its workings bu
{ will declare that he has no COZ fdence i'll il
5 integrity. Not to ninee matters it is Un
versally regarded as an organized fraud an
swindle.