The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1890-06-21
THE STRUGGLE IN LOUISIANA
The Mobile (Ala. } Register. !

! 1.-THE Mobile (Ala.) Register
4 struggle is now going Oh in Lou
isiana which is full Of interest to the
people OF every Southern state, for the
honor Of the state is involved in it, and
the reputation Of one Southern state is
a matter Of solicitnde Tor ail the 9TH
ers. Ever since the days Of Warmotl
and kellogg the Louisiana lottery has
been q power for evil in Louisiana
and all through the South. This can
not be successfully contradicted by
any who have watched the effect the
lottery craze has had upon the public,
or the influence this ever growing
corporation has exerted upon the pol
itics of the state that is now asked to
recharter it. II such is It's influence
now that it requires rare courage and
independence for public man in
Louisiana to oppose it, what will be
its influence twenty-five years from
now?
1t is idle to seek to excuse lotteries
by stating that some eminent men over
a century ago saw no particular harm
in them. The small lotteries of those
times, gotten up for Some charitable
and specific purposes, were nothing
compared to the gigantic monopoly
that now seeks to retain the hold that
it has upon great state The evils
caused by these small affairs were in-
significant compared to the demorali-
zation and corruption caused by the
lotteries of the present day. We can
not better point out the extent Of this
demoralization than by making the
following extract from an editorial i'll
the New York Times:
This is fife struggle for Louisiana. if
her people could only be made to realize
it. We hear a great deal about the idle
ness and shiftlcssness of the average ne
gro of that state, as well as the poor
white trash Has it ever occurred to
those who make these charges, based on
facts undoubtedly, to inquire how far the
Louisiana Lottery Company is responsible
for this condition Of affairs? This com
pany draws its main revenue FROM these
idle, shiftless negroes and white men,
who invest the few dollars they do earn
IN its tickets in the vain hope of winning
Il fortune without earning it. The gam
bling spirit pern1eates ali the lower class
es Of society in Louisiana and in other
Southern states where the tickets Of this
gambling concern are allowed to be sold,
and men imbued with this spirit will not
work. They may labor long enough to
earn the price of their stake with the lot
terry, but having staked it, they will lie
still and wait for the fortune which viii
never come. That is the history of Lon
isiana; it IS the history Of every state Or
country where lottery gambling is legal
lied.
10 sensible or candid man can deny
these statements. That they are true
our own experience tells US. The In
ls.ence Of lotteries IS to demoralize So
ciety, aud among these demoralzing
institutions tie Louisiana lottery has
the bad eminence OF being the largest
and consequently the most demoral-
izing.
There are fey states in the Union
bus what have laws against or consti-
tutional prohibition Of lotteries. Pub
lie sentiment all over the country con-
demns them as wrong and hustful, but
still in one state of the South there
has been determined effort made to
work up public sentiment in favor
Of this particular lottery that has long
been a reproach to the state and an
incubus to its prosperity. And it will
continue a reproach and incubus even
il it pays yearly into the treasury of
the state one million dollars.
It will indeed be a reproach to the
great growing state Of Louisiana, a
state whose past is one of eyentful pc
RODS q state whose citizens have been
and are honorable, true, and courage
Gus, and whose public men have left
their mark upon the history Of the |
nation-it will indeed be reproach, |
il such state shall accept bribe at
the hands Of the Louisiana Lottery
Company, and sell its reputation for
million dollars a year for twenty-five
years. For this is in effect what the
State will do if it agrees to recharter
the Louisiana Lottery Company on the
terms proposed by the company. IF
the lottery is a good thing for the
state and the people no money need /
have been offered to secure its CONT
nuanee. The fact that money is Of
fered shows thas it is not good thing.
The attempt is made by Che lottery
people to blind the people Of Louisiana
to the real nature Of the proposed
transaction, and, strange to say many
honorable men, who would sooner die
than accept bribe, or do anything
to injure the fair fame Of Louisiana, |
have been blinded, and are advoca-
ting agreement to the proposal of the
lottery company. It is to be hoped |
that their eyes will be opened sufici-
emily to see the position in which
IrOI1Islara now Stands haforn tho co,,n