The Opelousas courier., 1891-10-10
"We demand Equal Rights to all
and Special Eavors to none.n

great respect to make it manifest.
Under this motto they set up their
most foodly repeated opposition to the
Louisiana State Lottery amendment.
In doing SO they urge that it is mo-
uopoly. Let us examine it from this
point of view, and see irstif it be one,
and secondly whether there are not
several other chartered, or, patented
rights, which they set up no objections
to. and which arc as essentially mono
poles as the Lottery company is
What Is a monopoly z Let us deter
mine this question first, aud afterward,
we may better understand the observa-
tion we propose to offer on the subject.
Worcester defines it thus: The en-
clusiUe possession. Of anything. as cont
modify, or, a market, the sole right Of
buying, selling or, manufacturing any,
thing"
As our Alliance friends, aud their
political coadjutors, the ants, set up
such q eiamor against the immortality
or, iniqaity Of dealing in the tickets Of
the Lottery, we presume they lay no
claims to the right Of possession of
them, unless by paying for them which
very many of them regularly do They
buy, but do not want TO sell them as a
commodity and their opposition cannot
be directed to that feature. We pre-
sumo if they had every ticket they
wouldn't sell one. Tie Lottery com
pany does not buy them and the alli-
ance members do freely, us often or, as
seldom as they please. 1t follows there
ID no monopoly in the buying of tickets,
1t sells them, aud here alone the OBJ
lection lies. Well if it be immoral to
sell them, why should the alliance com-
plain that they cannot sell them :
while declaring in the 5th declaration
of purposes that they wish .sTo develop
a better State mentally morally. social
~ and financially Can or, do they
hope to improve tie moral condition
of their members and of society by
dealing comparatively III Lottery tickets
which they hold to be demoralizing 2
The strenuonsness of their argument is
always found to lie in the idea that,
everyone should have the right to sell
Lottery tickets. Would it not be an
astonishing contradiction in the pFofes.
sions and practice Of tue alliance, if
while it's members preach morality to-
be one of its purposes, and while con
demning the sale of Lottery tickets.
they should be engaged in selling
them Let US look at it from the
stand point of equal rights, and We are
at loss to see where their argument
has any force, for if ehartering the
Lottery be wrong 10 itself, equal rights
extended to all the members of the
alliance, 10 charter Lottery companies
would do away with the wrong. But
say our alliance brethren, we object to
it, because it is special favor TO the
Lottery company. Now, if tho people
at the ballot box, see proper TO accept
Mr. Morris's proposition, are not all the
inhabitants Of Louisiana the recipients
of the favor What does million
and quarter annually paid TO them,
mean, when ii casts them nothing 4
Take any individual in the alliance
aud give that sum to- him, and who
would bic say, was fsvored BIZ it, The
fact that if goes III 100000 makes ii
essentially none tie less d favor. The
fact is plain thai by accepting the amend J.
nent, the people will fnU0r Themselves
IF they be prudent 10 administering tue
Stale government, il will greatly reduce
the rate Of taxes now levied upon them
BIZ legislation Would that BE- no
favor to the lag payers Where Ii the
feature of special favor, if it be not MS
much Do the entire people us 10 the
Lottery company ? Suppose the COM
pany may make fortune out of tile
#charterf Do not people do this lii
many othef enterprises Are they not
te Id tolerated. because men make
money What progress would be
made III anything, If II were nsf for
the gain To individuals slls essav it7
You do not euiuplail5 because under
an act nf Congress- lIia anth0f hi d
book has tlle sole siglsI ID the sale III
it2 Do y0u eVer complain at Patents
granted to Inventors, --oE charters
given ID Rail Roads --sf licenses given
farris.s and many other things Of i
ainaaiAr kind OH no. But you say
There Is Il difference W. ean preceivts
none il the principle iisrolvsd Tie
author gets his capy tiGiit oa his otvR
pTodacti0T, but ii does not prevent
Others from writing books and taking
Aou copy rights. The Lottery company
handles it's 0acls money and has the
right to do so.
How does it geta charter BY first
gettaag the Legislature 10 pass IN ia
| abiiug act, and under ii the consent oi
the people. Any other company may
/ pToeurea charter id the same way il
I The people sanction 1t. But say our
alliance friends, the Lottery company
will use its money fo prevent Ii. This
y equivalent 60 declaring that the
aTnleIe will elect men open TO bribery,
10 The Legislature, man that cannot be
trusted That the people themselves
can be bribed, and thar the alliance
] will not trust hem u delightful con
dision of public aorals to contemplate. I
Our alliance friends should remember
that, they claim 10 be adverse to bri-
berry they claims that they can. and
will elect tile men of their selection,
and with what pIansibility can they
say that tlle Lottery company will
hrihe them If tlley cannot send ner
to the Legislature who cannot DC
bribed, they would act wisely b lel
other people try their hand aud them.
selves hold lp d little on their declared
purpose To improve tie morals ef the
people.
Now with all respect, we believe thai
men can be found who are not open Ii
bribery, aud believe ton, that if les!
we're said about bribery the morals j
iii 0se who are So fond Of charging lner
With iii aaSy3ak Ia siluIf3 liz s4ssfsTnrTss Iii