The Portland daily press., 1890-01-04
GREATEST SWlNDLE OF The DAY.
Malne's Tribute to the Louisiana
State Lottery.
Ten Thousand Dollars a Month Going
Out Of Portland.
Capital Enough to Employ More than
5000 hands Lost Yearly.

that has every operated In the State Of
Maine, is without doubt the Louisiana Lot
terry Company, which Is managed by the ex-
| Confederate Generals Early and Beauregard
| Though under the ban Of the laws Of this
State and though denied the open use Of the
United States mails, the company from Its
headquarters in New Orleans does thriving
business in Maine. The measure Of the ex-
act volume Of this business cannot Of course
be obtained. Every sign indicates that II is
very large, however. The few papers in the
State that are willing to publish the results
Of the monthly drawings Of the swindle have
a sale on the morning Of publication that is
little less than astonishing when compared
with the average daily sales of the same pa
pers for the days when there are no draw
| ings. This indicates how extensively the
business has been worked up among the
people, especially among the young, who are
| among the most eager buyers Of the papers
| on lottery morning." Clubs have been
formed the members sharing luck, which is
! generally bad luck. 1t is said that these
| clubs existin large proportion OF the estab-
lishments in town where labor is employed.
On the walls Of one establishment in the
city, where not over ten men are employed,
section Of one Of the walls is papered with
lottery tickets representing when bought
two hundred dollars Of hard cash; but when
the drawings have been over worth not
cent. This is very far from an exceptional
case. In one small village few miles from
Portland an agent sells two hundred dollars
worth of tickets moith, making for the
year the comfortable little tribute Of $1,000
which this village pays to the swindle. The
business of selling the tickets goes on very
quietly Of course, but not so quietly that 1t is
not known that very large sums 20 out of
the State every month never to return. 1t
is estimated by responsible men who are in
positions to see something of the workings
Of this business that from agencies in the
city Of Portland alone there 60 to Louisiana
every month $4,000. The Portland agencies
are said to have some business with other
places. in this vicinity. so all Of this monthly
$4,000 does not come from this city. But
undoubtedly large amounts are sent directly
to New Orleans by letter, and therefore can
not be included In any estimate Of the bust
ness of the agents. But Portland Is by no
means the only place in the State where the
swindle is patronized. In Biddeford, Saco,
Bath, Lewiston. Auburn, Hallowell. Gardi-
ner, Augusta, Waterville. Bangor. Rockland,
Belfast, Ellsworth. Calais, Brunswick, In
| fact in nearly every other large place in the
State the Louisiana Lottery is known by
| reputation net alone. Not only this, the
country regions as well are sending their
| tributes and the smallest towns have regular
| patrons of the lottery. II Portland sends
| $4,000 month to New Orleans, 1t cannot be
an unfair estimate to call this not more than
one fifth Of what goes from the whole State;
In other words Maine must be sending fifty
| thousand dollars a month to the Golfers Of
the Louisiana Lottery. As all months are
| equally good for the operation Of the swim
die. there must go out Of Maine in the course
OF the twelve monies Of the year the stupen-
dous sum Of sic hundred thousand dollars.
MAINE ROBBED OF POSSIBILITIES OF
WEALTH,
OF course this sum comes from many per-
sons and therefore slips away without being
noticed at the time but 1t is so much lost
nevertheless, and in the end the drain will
be telt 1t is the fruit of SO much industry
thrown away. PERHAPS the men and boys
who buy the tickets would have squandered
the money anyway; but this does not change
the situation. They would have squandered
1t in Maine. and in process Of time 1t would
have come into the hands Of some prudent
and saving fellows who would have gone in
to business with the dollars that are now
making Jubal Early and Beauregard inor-
dinately rich. The amount of business that
could be started in Maine with the yearly
tribute of 100000 that goes to the swim
die would surprise the young people
who are paying their monthly taxes to the
plausible gentlemen in Louisiana. For in
stance, If put into shoe factories 1t would
build and equip twenty-four that would give
employment to $50 hands each. This $780,
600 would give employment to six thousand
persons at least, and would support about
$500 families. They would do this directly.
Then there would be the indirect employ
ment to the large number of persons who
contribute to the feeding and clothing of
these 1000 operatives. If this S600, 900 should
be invested In one concern, instead OF being
scattered about in twenty-four plants, a
great many more hands would be employed
in proportion to the capital; so that. instead
of 5000 operatives there would be nearer
10000. There is in the s6Oo,0O that the peo-
pie of Maine are giving to the Louisiana
| swindlers each year the possibilities of in
dustries that would build up cities as large
as Waterville or Gardiner or Brunswick.
When capital Is sent out West for invest
ment in banks or lands 1t hurts Maine; but
| there Is a fair chance that large part of 1t
may return In the form Of interest ard prof
| its. But the Louisiana lottery pays no in
terests nor profits. Occasionally prize Is
| drawn. Sometimes in place where 1t is
| advisable to work up business several fair
prizes are drawn. 1t was so In Portland
few years ago, and the fame of it was very
soon noised abroad and craze at once start
ed. The Springfield Republican alleges that
these prizes are sent to places for the very
purpose of batting the people; and that
after the craze is started the amount Of the
| prizes received becomes very small indeed.
1t is certain that not ten per cent. Of the
money ever comes back from Louisiana.
THE OTHER SIDE.
This Is one side Of the subject. The other
merely corroborates this. 1t Il well known
that the Louisiana Lottery Company haze
offered to assume the State debt Of Louis
lana as a consideration for the extension Of
their charter. The managers Of the concern
are rolling in wealth; and their daily,
monthly and yearly receipts are fabulous.
An agent Of a Western paper has lately in
yestigated the receipts Of the lottery through
the New Orleans post Office alone. This
does not include the sums sent by express,
which are probably many times larger than
the mail receipts. The Lottery Company
receives nearly thirty per cent. of all or
binary letters for New Orleans. 1t receives
two-thirds of all postal orders. II receives
again. two-thirds of all the registered letters.
1t receives one-half the total New Orleans
letter mail. The business centres necessarily
in the New Orleans Post Office. An idea OF
its magnitude may be arrived at from the
number Of sealed envelopes sent out imme-
diately following each monthly drawing.
Take the evidences as presented with the
closing month Of the fiscal year. There was
thus sent out, as reported, no less than 2i0.-
600 sealed envelopes during the first ten days
OF July. These contained, unquestionably.
notification of results covering June orders
by mail. They evidence the fact, for June,
of 100000 incoming letters. The 100000 out
| pour the beginning OF July, was the regular