River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-06-27
tow-path to Cummingsville. Luke
Sharp, in Detroit Free Press.
oLD-TIMe LOTTERIES.
A Business which Flourished in Connect
cut for a CentnrV

OlD-TlM6 LOTTERIES.
"A Business which E1ourished in Connecti-
cut tor a Century.
The fact is not generally known that
Connecticut legislation was thoroughly
tainted with lottery schemes for one
/ hundred years prior to 1880, when lot
teries were abolished by statute. This
was thirty-six years after the State OF
New York had prohibited foreign lot
| teries. Attention has recently been
called to the matter b. the discovery
here of block Of three tickets issued
In 1894 in a lottery authorized by the
State for the purpose Of raising funds
TO assist in building the old State
Cap.tol IN this city, now owned and
used by the municipality. The
tickets are signed by John Cald-
well, and the number issued exceeded
seventeen thousand There were
/ two factors which served to make
the scheme unproductive. The first
was the prevalence of yellow fever in
New York and along the Connecticut
coast at the time, disastrously affect
rs bAAEAANoo anu Wal ANAehNAtAAl
/ through the North. The second was
the fact that the New York Legislature
passed law that year prohibiting for
eign lotteries This was an insur.
mountable draw back, as the bulk oil
the tickets were to be used in that
State. So far as known at present only
five of these tickets are now extant.
Two Of them ere in the possession OF
the State Librarian. Charles j. Hoadly.
and the remaining three wero found
few months ago in the upheaval OF
an old garnet In this city
John Caldwell, by whom they are
/ signed. belonged TO an old and aristo-
cratic family, and was man OF public
distinction here in 1894. His name is
/ still preserved in some of the leading
men in this city. Caldwell H. Colt be-
ing one in which It appears Major
John Caldwell Parsons is another.
The lottery spirit not only affected
the churches, but also gained strong
hold in Yale College. As far back as
the May session Of the Colonial Legis-
lature in 1747 the college was made
the beneficiary If lottery authorized
by enactment. In the language of
that period It was represented
that 1.-The college house was not
Large enough to entertain one
half the students" A lottery was or
dered by the Legislature for the pur-
| pose of securing funds to build new
house, which should be 10 feet long.
80 broad aud three stories high.
| Captain John Hubbard. Samuel Mix
and GAauncey Whittlesey were made
the directors and managers OF the lot
terry. Captain Hubbard had received
an honorary degree from the college
in 1880 and Samuel Mix was a gradu.
ate of 1920. At the time of the lottery
President Thomas Clap was at the
head of the college. Ten years after
the Yale lottery one was ordered for
the benefit of the public treasury OF
the colony. The government had
engaged in the French and In
dian wars with great patriotism.
supplying more than its full quota OF
troops for the service. In conse-
quence the public treasury was de-
pleted in 1851 and the credit Of the
co Ony endangered. In this emerpen-
cy the Legislators made a public call
on the cehrches in the colony for con-
tributious, and also authorized lot
terry for the benefit of the treasury.
One of the briefs read in the churches
is still extant, being possessed by State
Librarian Hoadly. The church offer
ing aggregated E1,3Sf 2s. I'D. The
lottery was intended to raise
$4,000, and was drawn on the
first Tuesday in June, 1851.
The church offerings were
received on March 20 throughout the
colony. The difficulty in levying an
immediate tax to meet the demands on
the treasury made the lottery. which
was then popular way for obtaining
money, necessity.
In October 1860 a lottery was or
dered blythe Legislature for he benefit
of the New London lighthouse. One
year later lottery for the raising cf
funds to be used in improving the
Housatonic river. then written Ousa-
tonnic, received legislative sanction
After 1875 the lottery grants from
the Legislature were not published,
and the records concerning them
are practically inaccessible. The
Legislature in 1880 enacted a statute
fOrbidding lotteries in the State. aud
that law is still unrepeaIed. In actual
practice, however, the statute is dor
mant. II enforced it would seriously
cripple the sources Of income relied on
by hundreds of churches, city missions
and benevolent organizations, secret
orders and military commands in the
State. The public conscience is at a
very low ebb at present in this State
in regard to lotteries Hartford Cor
y. Y. Times.