The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-04-22
a LOTTERY TOWN.
How Department Clerks In Washington In
vest Their Spare Dollars.

How Department Clerks In Washington In
vest Their Spare Dollars.
washingt Letter in PhiladeIphia Record.
Washington is a great lottery town More
people buy lottery tickets here in proportion TO
the population than In any other city, except
New Orleans. They are generally small IN
vestors. They do not buy whole ticksrs. but
they make up in regularity for the smallness OF
their Investments. Most of them, 1 am told by
oae of them, are. like himself, clerks in the diff
ferent departments. They have Fixed salaries,
with little hope OF any increase in income. Now
and then man climbs uD, as old William
Hunter did in the State Department, or
as yousg Charles E. Coon did in the Treas
ury Departments, to be an assistant secre-
taFy. But these exceptional cases. As
a rule, the most the 81. 200 clerk can
hope for is that he may riss to the $1,000 class
and usually he gets there only IN his dreams.
But while he Is waiting for promotion he gradu-
ally succumbs to that strange inertia which is
one of the characteristics of official lite. He
may have meant to stay in the departments
ton, something of that sort. but meanwhile
he got married or got lazy. and by and by he
cannot think of leaving. Yet he still desires the
money he thought to win in his old ambitious
days-desires it all the more for not having got
it and for having no prospect of getting it. Ev-
cry day as ne goes to and from his desk he sees
the horses and the Carriages of the rich and
well-to-do. He is tempted to covetousness at
every turn Having practical way of max
ing money, he becomes speculative-in
Dreams If not in fact If he has the chance he
becomes speculative in fact For years bucket
shops have been maintained IN Washington for
only men of this cass-they cannot spare more
than a few dollars at the most at time and so
they must operate through bucketshop or not
at all. Now, TO such men in such circume tances,
and to some women, too. the lottery advertise
ments appeal with great success. Month after
month they invest a dollar so IN the hope
that it may draw out for them ten or Is. 900
times its value without the slightest regard ap-
parenty to the actual outcome of the transaction.
1t becomes matter of course after a while-a
habit Ten $4,000 of these dollars go out
every month to lottery alone. Now and
then, of course, something comes back.
The other day 600 was announced as having
been drawn by one ticket purchased in Washing
soD-a $40 ticket, of course. but possibly the
property of one of the department clubs. But it
does not matter to some, at least, of these spec
uiasors whether they get anything back. One
of them, good deal of philosopher to be sure,
said 20 to-day: mo, I have never get any
return. although / have been putting dollar
others of the fifty in nv division. But don't
mind that. get just as much anticipation out
of my castles though got the money for
tnem-perhaps more. l have thirty days OF
delightful satisfaction. one day of disappoint-
ment. ard then l repeat the thirty again.
don't cars whether get any money out of it or
not ( couldn't get as much enjoy ment out of
my dollar any other way He admitted that
all his co-investors did not view il philosoph-
ically, and told me apropos several strange sto-
ries about them. of which this is the best:
'sThere is young woman in one of the depart
ments who has some relatives. whom she
is ALWAYS helping. She has 81 200 year, which
is enough for herself. but does not cover as well
all the needs OF her family. So she is religicusiy
trying win lottery prize for them say
religiously because every month when she in
vests her dollar she prays to heaven. in all sim
cerity, to make it win prize. She has been
systematically investing and praying for years.
She has not won anything yet, but she conf.
IDENTIFY expects she will