The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-12-03
MORE CURIOUS LOTTERY
ANCESTRY.

historian, should have closed his en-
trancing and romantic record substan
TALLY with the initiation of Louisian:
into the American Union as a State
Fields of inquiry broad in scope aDt
prolific in results are left to chronicler.
who possess the industry and the true
historical instinct to delve amid dust,
tones and more dusty recesses fol
those striking and nnlooked,for fact.
with which our history abounds from
1912, when Louisiana became State
to this year OF our Lord, 1890. The
States has been delving and diving fol
some time past, and the results of oul
industry are astonishing if not astoun.
ding. 1t is remarkable with what fire.
quency the searcher of our early re-
cords stumbles upon lottery charters
of every variety, and with every pos
sible scheme mathematical ingenuity
could suggest. There he finds at ev-
cry turn lotteries for colleges, for le-
wees, for streams, for churches and for
purely private interests. There are
lotteries in which the tickets sold
realized $4,000 and the prizes paid
only $4,000. There are games of
chance where the poor player stakes
his all upon "brace" game of faro,
as it we're; while others are found in
which the conscience of the projectors
seems to have suggested that those
who bought the tickets were entitled
to some possible return for their mon
ey, and the prizes reached fully so per
ceutum of the total amount of tickets
sold. Among the gifts were pianos,
bedsteads, books, lands, mules, horses
and cattle, all estimated in the prize
scheme at twice their real value. But
these lotteries hourished in the good
old days when the Louisiana State
Lottery had not come to disturb the
"whole priceless domain of good mo-
rails" and to "trail the honor of Lou
isiana in the dust"
The legislatures that granted tue
charters had the nerve and the hardi
hood on one occasion to enAow "the
rector of the church and SIX other per-
sons" with the privilege of running a
lottery in which the tickets themselves
were signed by the rector, and the
trustees were the wardens and vestrys
men of the church. And what is more
astounding still is that these charters
were granted by unanimous vote and
were followed by no wild denunciations
of the legislative servants of the peo-
pie. All went smoothly and swim
mingly, both the charters and the leg
islators who voted for them.
These were great names connected
with the Legislation of these early days
men the record of whose lives is
pointed to with pride by their descend
ants, and whose services to the com
monwealth render their memories
enduring in the hearts of the people.
There was John r. Grymes, one of
the greatest of the many great lawyers
in the early history of the State. He
proposed and voted for lottery char
ter. There was Levi Foster, of St.
Mary-grandfather of Hon. Murphy
). Foster, the leader of the anti hosts
OF to-day-a commanding figure in
the early history of the Teche, who
voted for no less than three lottery
charters, and who even rose up in the
Legislature and commended warmly
the lottery system of raising revenue
Tor worthy public objects. No ambi-
ton had he to figure upon "roll of
honor" 1t was enough for him to
know that he had done his duty BY
his people and his State as he thought
wisest and best.
Among the great philanthropists in
the early history of our State was John
McDonogh. Enduring testimonials to
his love and affection for his people
still remain among us. Yet John Nc
Donogh was the trustee of a lottery
fund, and actually petitioned the leo. |
stature for lottery charter. Associ-
ated with him on the Board of Trus- |
ees were such men as r. d. sheperd,
Benjamin Morgan, Richard Relf, VIM. !
kenner and Abraham R. Elery
whose illustrious careers have shed q
'alo of light upon succeeding genera
ions. When we come to inspect the
oil Of trustees of the lottery whose
proceeds were applied to the building
f the First Preshrterian Ghnrch non.