The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-16
The Newspaper Lotteries.
from CHrzSLi1z Statesman

Ihe Newspaper LOtterless
From carastian Statesman.
(The gollowing timely communica-
ton, coming to hand too late for inser.
ton elsewhere, is cordially "adopted'
into our editorial columns.)
It is we'll that the moral sense OF the
whole American community is stirred
up in connection with the proposed re-
chartering of the Louisiana Lottery.
The general condemnation of the bad
scheme has become so pronounced,
that the newspaper press with one ac-
cord have declared against it. They
have done so at least in the form OF
words, whatever mental reservation
NAV have been made on the part OF
some of them. This qualification in
deed. I feel bound to make, in view
of the fact, that great many dailies
are now running their own lottery.
These enterprising journals do not
call their individual schemes playing
lottery or playing policy they are
simply games of guessing? And
what is the whole groundwork of any
lottery but just guessing? Our papers
wish to increase their circulation.
They take up the popular base ball
craze. They print coupons, just as
might be printed by any lottery COM
pany-with the exception that the cou-
pons appear in the body of the paper
and they ask the buyers of the paper
TO fill up these coupons with the names
of certain baseball teams they guess
will win the games, and take their
chances in getting prize of ten, fifty,
or five hundred dollars, as the case
may be,
Here is the "Evening Bulletin" f,r
instance, whose scheme was referred
to some months ago in this paper.
"This contest" says the announcement
in the paper, 'is open to every boy
who buys the BULLETIN. And on
the front of the publication building
we find displayed the stimulating
placard 1880 for 2 cents" But the
caution or sense of shame of the pro-
prietors, taking alarm, has operated to
cause the removal of the $500 promise
placard, us we'll as the palpably mon
consideration that the In
vitstion is extended to those who buy
the sheet. The public are now invited
only to fill up the coupons and send
them In, but all the same, they need
to buy the papers and thus help enlarge
the circulation.
A scheme of like character and pur-
pose is that of the Enquirer" whose
announcement promises that extra
coupons" can be obtained. The wrl-
ter inquired at the counter Of the pa.
per in question what was the nature OF
these coupons. The clerk responded
that he had not seen any. "Then 1t
was expected that one would obtain
them by buying the paper" "Yes,
that is It," What fall, thought /, is
here, from the Enquirer" Of Jasper
Harding, to which my father was an
early subscriber and which lie contin-
ued to take, ss being good family pa
per, till the day of his death. Falling
into the hands of the publisher OF
Golden Days" and Saturday"
Night Sunday edition of the daily is
quickly announced (its own advertise,
ment gives among its contents serial
story, fashions, whist column, and
so on) and following along with 1t
comes this cheap guessing or lottery
scheme.
To the managers of the "Bulletin"
and "Inquirer,h and all other papers
engaged in this unworthy and (as 1
believe) illegal business, may be COM
the outspoken words OF Gov
ernor Nichols, of Louisiana, in his late
annual message. I will quote but a
single sentence:
"If the idea recently advanced that
the presence among us of lottery is q
blessing and boon, were entalned
seriously and really by any large part
of our population, we would not be
entitled to rate very high in the scale
of civilization or of morality, either
private or public. That institution
ought to be destroyed on both political
and moral grounds. Lotteries not on-
ly fall under the classification of gam
bling, but of gambling of the very
worst description. The Supreme
Court of the United States, speaking
on that subject, said: Experience has
shown that the common form Of gam
bling are inocuous when placed in con.
trast with the widespread pestilrnce OF
lotteries, The former is confined to q
few persons and places, but the latter
infests the whole community. 1t en-
ters every dwelling, it reaches every
class, it preys upon the hard earnings
of the poor and it plumbers the ignor-
ant and simple"
In the present instance, it Is not ex-
penditure of cent or ten cents in the
scheme that is of any particular con-
sequence, but it is the principle which
is involved of perchance getting a
large return on q very small outlay.
1t Is the mischief which is done when
one so far loses his sense of selfrespect
and integrity as to lend himself in the
least to any undertaking or scheme
that bears the taint of gambling. And
what is to become of baseball as q
game, when it is thus brought into
such disreputable association What,
likewise, Is the value to be placed on
the editorial condemnation of the
Louisiana lottery, when it emanates
from paper which issues prospectus
of guessing or betting, with valuable
prizes, to promote it's circulation?
J. w. LEEDS.
A man arose in one of Moody's
r~o,,o h,o