Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-02-10
WASHINGTON. D. c.. Feb 4.

The well paid lobby of the Louisiana
Lottery company are very active here just
at present. The cause is the bill now
pending before Congress to prohibit the
newspapers of the District of Columbia
publishing lottery advertisements. The
lottery company have i'll their employ two
of the most prominent and high priced
lawyers of this city who have been en-
deavoring to convince the committees on
the District of Columbia that the bill pro-
posed is unconstitutional. The lottery
company also has in its employ several
prominent and high priced local newspa-
per men, whose duties are to specially i'm
press on the congressional mind, through
the medium of the stomach, the undesra-
blllty OF the proposed law. In addition
to this directly paid lobby, every news
paper publisher in the District may be
counted on to use his personal efforts to
defeat the bill ; not from any love for the
lottery company but for the sake of their
own pockets The lottery company is a
large, liberal and prompt paying patron
of the newspapers of the District of Col
umbia.
This company is said to sell, in Wash
ington alone, more than 800, 900 worth of
tickets every month. The tickets seem to
be bought by all sorts of people, but the
largest pun nasers are government EN-
that repeated efforts have been made by
the heads of departments to prevent the
clerks purchasing lottery tickets Judge
Gresham, Arthur's postmaster. general, at
one time issued an order that the pnr
chase of lottery ticket by any clerk in
that department would be considered suf-
ficient cause for discharge if discovered;
but the clerks never stopped buying tick
cts, they We're only little more sly
about it.
Although the selling of lottery tickets
is Illegal here, being punishable by fine or
Imprisonment or both at the discretion of
the judge yet the business Is carried on
in brazen openfdce manner by nun
dreds of people in barber shops, cigar
stores and at one time in the not very dis
tant past tickets were openly sold over
the counter of the business Office of a
daily newspaper, the proprietor OF which
has since become wealthy enough TO stop
peddlng lottery tickets but he still gets
a share of the profits on all tickets sold
here as the price Of his influence" Taking
all these facts into consideration IL is not
very likely that this bill will ever become
Il law, unless the pressure from home be
comes too heavy for the congressman.
The six democratic representatives from
Louisiana are terribly worked up over the
tariff bill that is being proposed by the
majority of the ways and means commit
tee of the House. They, Of course, favor
the retention OF the present tax on sugar,
while the democrats of the ways and
means committee are divided, some favor
ing putting sugar on the free list and
others reduction of p per cent on the
present tax. Those who favor the latter
idea joined in writing letter TO the Loui-
siania delegation asking them II they
would support the new tariff bill with
that item. The delegation met last night
To discuss the matter and agree upon a
reply two of them-MessrS. Blanchard
and Newton-eXpresscd their Willingness
to support such bill, arguing hat IT was
better 10 accept reduction OF 20 per cent |
willingly than to DO compelled to see
sugar placed on the free list and the sugar !
of Louisiana ruined, but
the other four favored non committal |
answer to the letter, that would at least
put Off the trouble for time. In accord
ance with this an answer was prepared TO
the effect, that they hoped some arrange
ment might be made that would leave the
sugar tax undsturbed
II is believed among democrats that the
Louisiana members will very unwllllngly
support a bill that only reduces the sugar
tax ~ per cent but they are AFRAID To say
so at this stage for fear that the Tree trade
element Will want still larger reduction.
a great deal of unnecessary trouble II
being taken by the majority of the ways
and means committee OF the House, There
S not the remotest possibility Of any bill
which they may report ever becoming a
aw.
Another member OF the great sham re