Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-29
THE LOTTERY BUSINESS.
Disastrous Effects Upon It by tho Anti-1
terry IAW--Col. Sharp TAlks.

Disastrous Effects Upon 1t by the Anti-Lot-
terry LAw-Col. Sharp Talks.
The effect of the recent lottery law upon the
| business Of the Louisiana Lottery Company is
| q matter Of good deal Of interest As the law
is primarily to exclude the lottery literature
and tickets from the mail the proper enforce
ment Of the law is brought more directly under
the supervision Of Post Office Department Off
cials. Col. A. G. Sharp, who is at the head Of
the southern division of the inspection service,
has frequently been in New Orleans and has
had opportunities to study the lottery question.
He is now in this city official business, and in
conversation with STAR man the other day
he said:
HE SAW HOW IT WORKED.
81 happened to be In New Orleans when the
antilotsery act became law. salute Of 100
guns was fred at the head of Canal street in
honor of that event. It is a mistaken idea that
everybody in New Orleans is in favor of this
lottery business. There has also been party
in opposition, and now that this law ia passed
that party will grow in numbers and influence,
and believe in 1892 the people will
refuse to grant a renewal Of the charter. The
main reason that the business has been toler-
ated so long by the people of Louisiana is that
the lottery company, doing an immense bust
ness, has always been liberal contributor to
state and city enterprises of all kinds, besides
paying heavy tax. Then the people knew
that 50 per cent Of the business done by the
company came from outside of the state, and
they recognized that the lottery COM
pany was bringing q good deal Of
outside capital to the state. But at
the same time the demoralizing influence
OF the lottery was perceived. The daily drawings
with Accent tickets, from the receipts Of
which it was claimed that the company paid a
large proportion of its current expenses, were
patronlzed chiefly by the people of New Or
leans and vicinity. Servants and employees Of
all kinds would steal or do anything to get
money in order to buy tickets in these daily
drawings 1t was by means of the daily draw
lngs that the demoralizing influence of the
entire business was brought home to the peo-
pie of Louisiana
HOW THE BUSINESS HAS FALLEN OFF.
''since the passage of the anti-lottery act"
continued Col. Sharp, ''the business of the lot
terry company, which constituted more than
one-third of the entire business of the New
Orleans post Office, has fallen off to almost
nothing. Instead of receiving %, 900 registered
letters during the first twenty days of the
present month, as the record shows was the
number received during the corresponding
period OF last year, there have only been about
l,OOO received. The shares of the company
which in June last were valued at 81 500
have since been sold for S4OO and $500.
4'"" th"e euO cApTcsS COHipd OF AT leaSt
two Of the principal companies, have refused
to do business for them the Louisiana Lottery
Company is practically thing of the past
You see, the new law has aroused public senti-
ment as well as being passed in recognition of
this sentiment. The result is that the local
lottery laws are being rigidly enforced. In
forty-twO out of forty-four states there are Sc
we're anti-lOttery laws which have never been
properly enforced. Now the situation has
changed and the prospects of the lottery COM
pany rendered still more dismal.
SOME IDEA OF FORMER PROFITS.
"What tremendous business will disappear
when the lottery company ceases to exist.
From what have been able to learn they must
have made a clean profit each year of between
six and seven millions. You see there were
twelve monthly drawings each year and two
ANNALS If all the tickets were sold of the
monthly drawings, was often the case, then
$1,000, 900 were realized. From this they had
to pay about 81 ,0SO, 900 in prizes. You can es-
innate for yourself what the monthly profits
would come to. Then from the annual draw
ings they made about &. 900 900. and in addi-
ton had the daily drawings in New Orleans to
fall back upon to meet expenses. 1t was big
thing while it lasted.''