Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-14
LOCKE ON LOTTERIES.
The Pastor Of the Smithfield Street
N. T. Church breaches About
LOUISIANA'S GREAT DEVILFISH.
he Bays 1t is National Issue, and the
Pulpit Must DenOunce It.
DE-. SUTHERLAND ON OUR NEW BODIES.

Notwithstanding the warm weather, the
Smithheld Street M. E. Church was crowd
ed, last evening, by people to hear Rev.
Charles Edward Locke, the pastor, preach
on "The Louisiana Devil Fish," He made
an eloquent attack against the lottery and
showed why the people should take up the
matter and do everything possible in their
power to abolish the business. He took for
his text: "The fires shall consume the
tabernacle of bribery" etc. In his sermon
he said:
This nation is victimized and outraged by
the Louisiana State Lottery. 1t was organ
lied in 1865, and chartered by the State for
period of 25 years. During the early.
days of its existence the lottery came into
competition with the lotteries of other
States. To-day it is the only one in exist
ence, and Louisiana is the only State in the
Union that would permit this nefarious
business TO go on. The reason for this is
because of the seeming liberallty. In 1868
when the yellow fever was raging
in the South, it contributed $780,
600 to the fund for the relief OF
the sufferers. 1t built two churches and en-
dowed the Howard Memorial, city library.
When the floods inundated the country. a
few weeks ago, it donated $500, 900, and sent
out three or iour boats to rescue the people
living along the river banks. 1t has in
gratiated itself into the hearts of the people
and has put the State under obligations to
itself.
SOMETHING OF THE FUTURE,
1.-THE charter OF the concern expires at the
end of the year 1898, and the ministers
of the country are organizing against
it. They have been stirred up
TO the enormity of the crime being
carried on under the protection of the law
and are organizing crusade against it.
The present session of the Legislature has
been considering the matter o renewing the
charter for 25 years more. For this privi-
lege the lottery company will pay the State
in cash 81, 500 600. The bill passed the
lower house, and to the honor o. the Gov
ernor, it may be stated, he vetoed it. So
strong is the grip of this hydra-headed,
blood-sucking, entrail-eating monster that
1t went from the lower house to the
Senate with recommendation for
passage. While on its wav to the
Senate, member died. thereby making Ione
short of two-third vote to pass the bill |
over the Governors veto. 1t will eventually |
come before the judiciary. and afterward |
may be put to vote of the people. If it |
is, there is no question but the people |
will vote Overwhelmingly for the lottery.
THE robbery is national blotch and a |
disgrace. If it only affected the people of |
Louisiana it would not be our fight. Only |
three per cent of the tickets sold |
are taken by the people of the
State. Ninety-seven per cent OF the receipts
OF the concern are sold in other States aud
foreign countries. For this reason / claim
it is a national issue. The grand old State
of Pennsylvania makes it criminal, and vet
the Louisiana Lottery reaches into the State
regardless of our wishes. One-third OF the
mail sent into the city of New Orleans is for
the lottery company, and two-thlrds of the |
letters sent out of the CITY come from the |
concern. A few years ago they had Offices |
in the principal cities of the country. In |
one office on Broadway, New York, the daily |
receipts for a month we're So, 176, and the |
number OF letters received was ,760. |
ITS GRIP ON PITTsBURG.
"Our own city has felt the grip Of the |
monster, and many boys in the Western |
Penitentisry can attribute their downfall 10 |
the lottery. Many citizens who have been |
poor are made poorer. Many wealthy men |
have been fascinated and ruined. would |
earned earnings of the poor people of this |
city have gone to swell the purses of the |
leeches who control this smothering octopus. !
1t is also a moral issue, and it is the |
duty of the pulpit to speak out |
against it. 1t is not honest. II is a |
high-handed. unscrupulous, unmitigated |
swindle. The earnings of the concern have |
been SO. .000,0 600 per year, the proceeds |
$50, ,0OO, 600, and what does it pay for all |
this? 1t contributes $4,000 per year to a |
city hospital, and the other thousands I |
have referred to are a mere pittance to the |
millions of dollars gone TO the avaricious |
owners of the vulture. 1t leads to living, |
lasciviousness, corruption, prof igacy, drunk
enness and murder. 1t creeps in until il /
fastens its long arms on the vitals of the |
public, and then fattens on them.
Generals Beaurcgard and Early are |
piling up the tinder that will, after
while, topple and consume the tabernacle OF |
bribery. These men fought like tigers
against the desecrating tread of Yankees
from the North during the war. They won
laurels bY their efforts on the field of battle.
They have since then been utterly sold out
to the devil for SO 900, 900 per year.
You have read of the deyil-fsh. 1t pos
sesses the power OF dischargIng a black,
inky fluid that surrounds the fish and en-
ables it to make its escape in the water.
This savage devil-fish of Louisiana, with its
long arms, reaches out, clutches, feeds and
fsttens on ruined souls. 1t throws out a
huld Of seeming charity and blinds the citi-
zenship of the State"