News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-01-31
THE LOTTERY OCTOPUS.
A WHOLE STATE IN IT'S CLOSE EN.
BRACE,
Oemornilzing Influence Upon the Peo-
PIE sad Condition of Society-A Few
PitifIi Instances.

The demoralizing and corruptinp in
nuence of the lottery is thus referred n
Dy New Orleans correspondent of the
New York Times: 1t taints everything
mere from business measures to domestic
happiness. Its. most baleful effects are
seen IN the suspicion and distrust which
1t creates between EMPLOYERS and en-
ployees, between masters and servants
between husbands and wives. and even
between parents and children; in the
sunderlng of social relations, and in its
Ancitement to crimes like embezzlement
ana other breaches of trust which are
becoming alarmingly frequent. The
temptations to indulge in this form of
Samplng are numerous here and gen.
orally throughout the State. There is
no hamlet, however small, which has
not Its shops for the sale of tickets and
which Is not placarded over with the
spec1ous announcements of the company
an this city, If one were to Judge solely
rom appearances, he would come to the
conclusion that the selling of lottery
uckets was one of its chief industries.
Every business thoroughfare and many
which can IN no sense be considered
such has its frequent displays of the
tempting little slips of paper of divers
colors with cabalistic devices printed on
them. The slips are hung in show win
dows on rods or strings so as to catch
the eye of the wayfarer and the arrays
at distance look like miniature clothes
lines full of garments. There is no es-
Gaping these displays. They deck the
gorgeous gin palaces, the cigar shops,
ha hal hnF'v 4ha
bakers and candlestick-maker's places,
the hotels, and even the millinery, dry
goods, and candy stores. On the prin-
cipal streets there is hardly a block
which has not one of the displays. and
on some blocks there are half dozen or
more places where the tickets can be
procured. All classes are appealed to.
The lottery company wants the pennies
of the poor, as well as the dollars of
those better provided with worldly
goods, and 1t makes preparations to re-
celve tribute from those in every station
in life. 1t has a scheme of daily draw
ings, part-tickets for which can be OBJ
tanned as low as two bits, or % cents
each. The range is from this amount to
the SO needed for ticket for the most
pretentious of the drawings. There is
no class OF persons, not even the clergy,
which Is not to some extent addicted to
this form of gambling. Boys are quite
numerous in the list. Young lads at
school club together their few pennies
and buy tickets. Officeboys and boot
blacks patronize the same industry.
Young clerks in offices and counting
rooms stake money constantly ON the
chances of the wheel. Workmen deny
themselves and pinch and stint their
families and give their hard earned
wages to the sharks who grow rich on
the weakness of their fellows. And
. business men, without stint, draw from
their stores to add to the Overlooking
Golfers of the gamblers. The passion
extends to blacks as well as whites. The
poor roustabouts and laborers who earn
at best but scanty and precarious ivi-
hood by most arduous labor, the plan
tatiOn negroes from the cane and cotton
fields, the walters at the hotels, and the
still poorer classes who exc out a very
meager subsistence by the doing of odd
Jobs, all help to the extent of their
means to the same end. With the women
OF all ages and divers colors the passion
at times amounts almost to a mania.
Colored cooks and servants vie with
their white mistresses in giving way to
the abominable vice, and Young girls
without number have been corrupted by
this agency.
The condition Of society to which in
diligence in the pernicious habit has
given rise Is something extraordinary.
Embezzlement has become so frequent
IN consequence as to excite hardly COM
ment, and the Governor of the State is
constantly appealed to to pardon the vic
TINS of the lottery gamblers. Workmen
steal from their employers, and cashiers
from the funds entrusted to their care.
Husbands are apprehensive about in
trusting money into the hands of their
wives, and not without reason. A typi-
cal case was told the writer a few DAYS
ago. A gentleman in quite comfortable
circumstances was in the habit of allow
ing his wife a certain fixed amount for
the expenses of the household. The
sum was sufficiently large to provide
most generous fare and to meet demands
even of "a most expensive kind. The
supplies for the household, however,
gradually kept declining in quantity and
quality. At the beginning the circum-
stance was not especially noted. But,
after awhile, the suspicious of the hus-
band were aroused, and he made in
quiry with a view to finding out why he
and his family Jared so badly. He
learned to his establishment that his wife
had been smitten with the passion for
gambling In lottery tickets. After rea-
sonlng with her to no purpose he was
obliged to stop supplying her with
money. This did not, however, daunt
her. The poor, deluded woman went to
tradesmen with whom the family were
IN the habit of dealing and obtained
money, the amounts being set down as
the prices of specified articles supposed
to have been bought by her. With the
money thus derived lottery tickets were
purchased. By and by, the knowledge
of this conduct also came to the Eus-
bands attention and a stormy scene fol-
lowed. The wife's mania ended in the
separation of the two and the breaking
upof their home. This case is only one
of many.
1t has come to such pass in this city
that no prudent housewife will trust her
cook or servant with money for market
ing or other domestic purchases, know
ing that the temptation to buy lottery
tickets is usually too strong to be re-
sisted. Household servants. admirable
IN all other respects, have been corrupted
by the passion for the vice to such an
extent as to go out of their way to steal
money for the purpose. And even chill
dren have robbed the pockets of their
parents to indulge in the fascinating but
delusive habit, whose outcome here can
be-traced in poverty, crime and wretch
edness.
There was some talk recently-it was
ante-convention talk-to make a fair.
square fight against the corruption. A
lawyer In this city, known to be opposed
to the lottery, was approached by man
who offered to give him a campaign
document. The proposer was an elderly
man, seedy, poverty-stricken and de-
jected.
'Let's see your document, said the
lawyer
''Here it is" said the other, as he
drew with an effort huge bundle of
papers from the inside pocket of his
coat. "Here it is. Here are tickets in
the Louisiana State Lottery in which I
have squandered $4,000, and I never
drew prize"
Om.-Some experiments were made
at Folkstone recently with an apparatus
for calming troubled waters by means of
oil. A PIPE 1000 feet in length was ex-
tended from the pier in an easterly direc-
ton and the oil was forced through this.
Pumping commenced about five min