The Washington critic., 1886-01-30

nothing to do with the advertising of
the lottery, and | made no answer to
his letter. The consequence is that he
has lately, as | have learned, become
Mortified at the immortality of all lot
tcries, especially the Louisiana Lottery.
To those people who think, honestly,
that all lotteries are immoral and
wrong, have this to say: II has not
been twelve months since the highest
digntarics of the land and an immense
concOursc of citizens were assembled at
Washington city to render homage to
the memory of the Father of His COuu-
try in dcdicating that lofty column
which towers above all other mont
ments in the world; and yet George
Washington was the president Of lot
terry company. But Colonel Mcclure
says that Washington was then young
man "and unknown outside of his own
section of Virginia" He was then
Q16S) thirty.siX years of age; had been
married nine years, and had fully
acquired that Continental reputation
which caused all eyes inslnCtivGly to
turn to him, seven years later, when II
leader was sought for the forces of the
revolving colonies. The hero of the
little hatchet had certainly arrived at
years of discretion when he put his
sign manual to the tickets of the Noun.
tain Road Lottery, one of which is now
in the possession of the Louisiana State
Lottery.
Thomas Jefferson, the great apostle
of liberty, long after he had been Pres.
ident, sought and obtained the passage
of an act of the Legislature to enable
him TO dispose of his real estate by lot
terry, and he wrote defense of lotteries
which Is to be found in Randall's life
of him. James Madison, the father of
the Constitution, approved and signed
an act authorizing regular system of
lotteries for the purpose of improving
Washington city, and John Marshall,
the ablcst and purest judicial cX-
FOUNDER of that Constitution, was one
of the managers of n lottery authorized
by an act of the Legislature of Virginia.
| may also say that many churches
and seminarics of learning have been
built and established in various sec.
tions of the country by the aid of lot
tcries. If it be said that these were
pious and charitable objects, must
reply that the Louisiana Lottery sus-
tains one of the noblest charities in all
the country, the Charity Hospital of
New Orleans. If lotteries in them
selves are vicious and demoralizing,
they cannot be sanctified by being used
for pious or charitable purposes. Is
this age any more pious or moral than
that in which Washington, jefferson,
Madison and Marshall lived? Are our
public men now governed by higher
sense of duty and morality than actu.
ated those illustrious patriots? If it is
alleged that lottery is a gambling
affair, then | ask what are the opera
tions which characterize the stock and
exchange markets, and dealings in
futures in grain, cotton and various
ruined by buying lottery tickets? Don't
we know that thousands are ruined
annually by gambling in stocks,
futures in produce, &C., of which we
have had some very noted instances in
the past year? Why then should the
powers of the Government be invoked
TO suppress lotteries when no step is
taken to arrest evils of thousand fold
greater magnitude?
In conclusion will say that when |
was informed of the attack on the
Louisiana Lottery on account of the
San Francisco affair, being at home /
was not aware of the facts of the case
until ! went to New Orleans in Deccm-
Der. From there / had TO go to Mis-
souri, on private business, and returned
home but recently. This is the cause
of the delay in this publication. So
far as | am personally concerned l care
nothing for the opinions or sayings of
Colonel Aleck Mcclure, Mr.. l.. Lum
Smith, Mr.. Brick Pomcroy, or any of
that class, but have felt it due to the
Lottery Company TO make this cX-
PLANTATION, as otherwise there might be
some who might misconstrue my
that the operations of the Louisiana
Lottery Company arc honestly con
ducted and in fact the managers of
that company have sense enough to
know that they can make more money
by conducting their operations hon
cstly than they could by cheating, If
they were actuated by no higher mo-
tives. Conducting business which
| extends over the whole country, and
even into Canada, with many thousand
correspondents, ii is not unreasonable
that there should be some miscarriages,
but these are to be traced mainly to
the dishonesty of some of the officials
through whose hands the corrcspon.
dence has to pass on its way to its des-
tination. Let these latter be reformed,
and much nobler work will be accom-
plished than by undertaking to reform
| the morals of the country by rcstric.
tions on the use of the mails.