Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-08-14
TIVE AOrrRRY EIGRr.


An Appeal Frons the People Ol
LOutshana-iEheO octopus big Earn
bnas.
BATON ROUGE, La, Aug. Is..-In ths
Anti-Lottery League convention late
hour last night the committee to formu
late an address to the people of the
United States and to memorabilia the
President in Congress made report.
After showing how the public officials
have been corrupted, politicians bought
and the press Subsidized, the report
shows how the lottery company has VIC.
lated its pledges and employed every
means TO continue in possession OF the
exclusive monopoly Of drawings, the APP
peal calls upon the people OF the United
States to lend their hearty sympathy and
support to suppressing the great evil.
| II then quotes the following figures,
showing the immense earnings OF the
company and the openness of the rob-
berry The market value Of the stock has
risen from 1856 per share in 1879 to
| 81, eco per share in $780, go that now it
it more than double that of the whole
banking capital ofthe State.
They have built up the original capital
which was never subscribed and have
accumulated an enormous surplus OF I'M
known amount while declaring dividends
of from 80 to 100 per cent per annum
and that too out Of only half of tho net
earnings as the other half belongs to the
lessees Messrs. Howard and Morris.
Definite information as to their list of
stockholders, officers, profits and busi-
ness affairs cannot be obtained IS they
are kept studiously concealed from the
public. The scheme OF it's drawings has
increased from q monthly capital pFizs
Of $50, 900 to monthly capital prize Of
$500, 600 and a semi-annual prize Of
100000. The aggregate of the schemes
of the monthly and semi-annual drawings
10 the fabulous sum Of $26, 600, 900 per
annum and the aggregate of their daily
drawings Is over gao, 600, goo more. They
receive annually $1,250,000 from the
written policies sold on the numbers of
the daily drawing apart from the sale Of
the regular printed tickets. They receive
annually about $22, 900, 600 from their
monthly and semi-annual drawings. The
schemes Of the last drawings are so ar
ranged that they can sell rs per cent OF
theiE tickets, pay 10 per cont for selling
them, loss all the prizes provided for in
tuu aOuoLlcbt pay a Lltltihu uOllaIb IUf eA-
psnses and still make $3,00U,000 profit
per annum.
We make no Idle assertion when we de-
noGncs these schemes as fraudulent. Even
from lottery standpoint this company
offers to distribute less than So per cent
in prizes. No authorized lottery on earth
that we know Of outside Of Mexico is al
loved to distribute less than 20 per cent.
The chance to win priza Of any sort in
one of these drawings is about in 80,
whereas if it were an honest lottery it
would be OF least in 10. These were the
reasons which Induced two postmaster.
generals Of the United States to exclude
II from the mails as fraudulent lottery.
What is known as the daily drawing
takes place every day except Sunday,
3l3 per annum. The scheme ia based on
the tenary combination OF the natural
number from to 70 and on some days
from ] to IS, giving in the one case
7S,O16 and In the Other 81, 525 different
combinations Of three numbers each.
The prizes paid are out of sill honest
proportions to the cost OF tickets or the
chances of winning. For instance for .
dollar ticket, the chance OF winning
prize of S5 cents is ia 3; winning
prize Of Sl.75, in 10; and Of winning q
prize OF Z .25, ID in 1887.
In addition to these printed tickets
written polices or bets on the numbers of
the daily drawings are taken at the fancy
of the bettor with percentage Of from ~
to Al per cent in favor Of the lottery.