The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-09
AGAINST THE LOTTERY
An Appeal to the People Of the Uni
ted States.

ted States
BATON ROUGE. La. August Sat a late
hour last night the committee to formu-
late an address to the people of the United
States and TO memOfialize the present con-
gress made the following report, which
was adopted:
An address to the people Of the United States:
Your fellow citizens of the state of
Louisiana opposed TO the lottery gambling
ana lottery charters, assembled In conven-
tIon at Baton Rouge this 18th day of Aug
ust, 1890, make to you this appeal for aid
IN the struggle they are engaged in with a
powerful gambling corporation which has
It's being here among us like a giant octo-
pus and stretches its arms to the remotest
hamlet in the land.
We desire simply to state to YOU the
facts. In 1868 the carpet bag legislature
of Louisiana at the instigation of a num-
Der OF gamblers chartered the Louisiana
Lottery company with a capital of 81, ,OO0,
D9O, giving II n monopoly of drawing lot
terIes IN the state for twenty-five years
This grant was obtained by bribery and
corrupt means and at that time the public
regarded 1t with contempt and the men
connected with II were pursued with pub
Tic and private condemnation and dis
grace. In 1879 the legislature repealed
this charter, result accomplished by q
majority OF only two votes in the senate.
LIS IeDctbl WAS pFtiCJlCdllN nullllel DN dl
injunction issued by Edward G. Billings,
, United States district Judge for Louisiana,
who held IN the very teeth of the decision
OF the supreme court of the United States
rendered IN the similar case of Boyd VS..
Alabama, that an immoral bargain such
as THIS Charter was, was a sacred contract
protected by the constitution of the United
States and binding upon the police power
OF asovereign state. The same legislature
that repealed this charter called u con
stltutional convention. This convention
was attacked by he lottery people with
money with Judge Billings decision, with
promises 10 give up its monopoly, to retire
from politics and to allow a provision to
be inserted in the constitution prohibiting
all lotteries after January l, 1895.
Several distinguished attorneys of the lot
terry company were elected to this body.
The whole convention was surrounded
with strong lobby of purchased respecta-
bllty. Under these combined influences
a provision was inserted in tine projected
constitution reinstating the repealed char
ter without the monopoly feature permit
ting the legislature to charter other lOtter
les providing that after January /, 1895, all
lotteries should be prohibited. This pro
lection was intended and regarded as a
compromise, and rather than defeat the
whole constitution in which it was imbed-
ded the people adopted it.
With this new lease of life came a new
lease of power and a prosperity incredible.
They have practically enjoyed their re
nounced monopoly by preventing every
Legislature elected since 1850 from grant !
ing additional charters. The market value
OF their stock has risen from $50 per share
IN 1879 TO $40 per share in 1880, so that
now 1t Is more than double that of the
whole banking capital of the state. They
have built mp the original capital, which !
was never subscribed, and have accumu- |
Al a
amount which is declaring dividends of 50
10 100 per cent per annum, and that, too, /
out of only oue-half of the net earnings, rs !
the other half belongs 10 the lessees, How |
ard and Morris.
The scheme of their drawing has iuCreaS- |
ed from monthly capital prize of $4,000 !
10 monthly capital prize of S300.O .OO0 and a |
semi-annual prize of 5000 coo The aggre- |
gate of the schemes of the monthly and |
seml-annual drawings is the fabulous sum /
OF S3SOSOO0O per annum, and the aggregate |
of their daily drawings Is over so. .OOO, 900 /
more They receive 81 .250 600 from the |
written policies sold on the numbers of the |
daily drawing. apart from the sale of the |
regular printed tickets They receive an
nually about so O,oO0, eco from their month |
~ and semi-annual drawing The schemes /.
OF the last drawing are 80 arranged that |
they can sell - per cent of their tickets, |
pay 10 per cent for selling them, lose all the /
q
million dollars for expenses and still make |
S5,UN, GOO per annum The chance TO win /
a prize OF any sort IN one of these drawings /
Is about one m thirty. whereas, If it were |
an honest lottery IL would be at least one
in ten. These were the reasons which in |
duced the two poStmaSters general of the
United STATES 10 exclude it from the mails
as fraudulent lottery. What is known
as the daily drawing takes place every dav
except sunday, Sl3 per annum.
The scheme is based on the
tenary combination of the natural mum
-, giving in The one case tS,Us6 and in the
other 6S.595 different combinations of
three numbers each. The prizes paid are
out of all honest proportion To the cost of
the ticket or the chances of winning. For
instance for dollar ticket the chsnces of
winning prize of 30 cents is l in 3; win
nlng prize of 81 l in l9 and for win
ming a prize of 81 IS is l in I33i In ad-
ultien 10 these printed tickets written
policies or bets on the numbers in the daily
drawings are taken at the fancy Of the
better. with percentage from - 10 IL per
cent IN favor of the lottery. There are
more than hundred policy shops IN tine
city or New Orleans where such tickets
are written. They are placed at points
where they waylay the wage Garner in
high progress TO and from his work.
From the best of information we can
get receipts of these shops average
about $50 per diem. BY daily repetition
of play thousands of wretches become
afflicted with the lottery craze We have
the authority of the lottery that % per
cent of this enormous revenue Of 50. .00O. 600
comes from he people of this country out
side of the state of Louisiana. II has
captured three-quarters Of the press. even
though by spending the capital acquired
or by purchase and proprietorShip. In
localities where il could not purchase the
local press it has started a hireling press
of its own. While the United States post
pdice department is the principal instru-