The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1890-11-29
SATURDAY, NOV. 30, 1890.
CURIOUS LOTTERY ANCESTRY.

nevertheless quite true, that Louisiana
has utilized lotteries as ameans of rails
ing reyenue less than any other State
in the American union. While New
York, Rhode Island and Georgia were
establishing their public school system
with money derived from lotteries;
while Massachusetts, Pennsylvania
and New Hampshire were building up
and strengthening their colleges with
shekeis from the same source: white
Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland were
constructing important public works
by meals of lnttclicS; Louisiana re-
fused to'ayail herself of the opportuni-
ties thus offered, and held aloof from
this mode Of raising revenue. Tie re-
suit has been that the states just nam
ed laid the foundation of excellent pub
lie school systems with funds gathered
by the goddess of chance. while Louis
lana, a laggard i'll the race, permitted
her neighDcls to outstrip her III the
march, Il progress, and only i'll 1892
will SHE have an opportunity Of en-
bracing the first tangible proposition
to stcure 4 wcli-eqnIpped system of
public schools TIN ugh revenues OBJ
tanned by the same method employed
by her sister states nearly halt IL cen
fury ago.
Bat there were lotteries chartered
by the Legislature of Louisiana in the
early days, and the history of some of
them is peculiar rs showing the great
names associated With these immoral (F)
agencies now sprapidly condemned by
the hypercrit!cal Louisiana moialists
of to-day.
One of the first acts of the Louisiana
Legislature when the State was admit
ted to the Union, was to establish q
lottery lorthe purposeof raising money
to folad die .tUnivelSity oI LuHl>i-
ana" the provisions of this lottery be-
ing Identical with those Of similar lot
teries established to assis. Harvard and
Columbia Colleges, and the UHivcrSi-
ties of Pennsylvania. Georgia and
North c rolina. The State, however,
allied to follow up this lead, and cs-
tablisiicd only one other lottery for
educational purposes. In the year
1928 an act was passed granting the
Covingtou Academy, in st. Tannlany
parish, the privilege to run Il lottery
and thus raise the money pecessary to
support The institution. 1t may not be
unlntorcsting TO see who We're tie
trustees OF the lottarv-Who were the
men that handled the lottery money,
issued the tickets, signed them with
their own names and gathered i'll the
shekelS arising from this ~daEnablc (P)
business so loundly denounced by the
anti moraIists OF 1880. First on the
1iSf 40 .,r.0 If tf4t ~ "a, 9..- Enr ~ IL. tnt-
terry is Hon. Branch ". Miller. father
of our distinguished lawyer Hon. Hen
ry c. Miller. and grandfather Of Judge
Fred. ID. King and Air. Branch NJ.
King. all OF whom are leaders Of the
anti hosts of to-day. The other trus-
tees were ID. b. Morgan. Jonathan Gil
more, Moses Moore aud Daniel Ed
wards,
On the oath day of September, 1890,
an address TO the people OF the State
was issued by the Anti-Lottery Exc
cutive Committee Of Louisiana.
Among the members of this committee
we find the name of Branch NJ. King.
of the parish of Orleans, grandson OF
Bon. Branch w. Miller, the trGstee oi
IL lottery. In this address we are told
IiIdt Il lUltStN - utstl tCtltt anu us
astrous to the whole priceless domain
of good morals.o We are further told
that the eharteiing of Il lottery will
"trail the honor OF Louisiana in the
dust There are also to be fonna in
this document Numerous references to
"partnership i'll Il gambling concern
Similar lurid expressions prevail
throughout the entire address, which,
as we have above stated, WAS signed,
among others, by the grandson Of Hon.
Branch W. Miller, the trustee If the
''Covineton Academy Lottery"
1t was found necessary us early as
1911 to raise funds for the improve
ment of Bayou Laiourche. The Leg
islature was petitioned for "a charter
and the .'Lafourche Lottery" was the
result. Among the managers OF this
lottery we find such names rs the Hon.
Henry johnson, Aglicola Fuselicr.
Pierre Regnier, aud John Wilkinson.
than whom no names were more dis
tinguished in the early history of the
State. In 1922 the charter of the La
fourche Lottery was renewed without
il struggle by unanimous vote of the
Legislature, in which, of comse, there
was All entire absence of the modern
'.roll of honor The trustees under
the renewed charter were Joseph Me
olas. Narcisse Landry, ID. A. Randall,
l.. G.. D'Outremer and st. j. DeTour-
MILLION.
In the same year in which the LA
fourche Lottery" came into existence,
the people of Rapides asked for a char