St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1891-10-24

= Now, my friends. what is this lotter.
question? Is it political question? ant
what mean by political question, i
: this: is it "a question which ought to b
r the subject matter for discussion on polit
! ical platforms, and ought to be question
upon which the Democratic party shoult
make deliverance in declaration t
i the public of the principles which it pro
Il posessto defenda The great dodge of thu
: lottery promoters is to say:
no, this is not a political question
Why, it is financial question; it is {
revenue question" Granted for the SAKE
of argument. Let us discuss and conside,
a little. Is not every financial question
pertaining to the support of the govern
fment, or the taxing oS the people directly
or indirectly, pe1iticfl question? Wha
is the tariff question? poes not that per
tain to the taxing of the>ssleeQple? Is moi
that political question? Ip you think
that any political party before the people
of this country would dare to put up a
platform that did lot contain a declara'
ton on the tariff? What is the sub-treas-
ury question? Is not that political ques-
ton? What is the national bank ques-
ton? Is not that political question?
What is the silver question? Is not that
a political question? And go down the
list, go back into history, has not every
question of taxation that ever has arisen
been
| POLITICAL QUESTION?
Was it not question of taxation that
drove the American people into revolu-
ton and separated them from the mother
| country? Was not that political ques-
ton? was it not question of taxation
that brought about the overthrow of the
power of the British monarchy, anat which
cost Charles I his head? And was it not
mainly a question Of taxation, persued
through a long series of years, which
brought about the revolution and the de-
So, my friends, when they tell you that it
is not political question they are talking
rot. 1t is essentially a political question.
1t is the very center of politics. 1t is
question about which no party can come
before the people of this State without a
declaration on the one side or the other.
There is no other question in the State
to-day but that question dividing the peo-
pie: and, therefore, | say to you men who
are opposing this thing, be not deceived
by the talk of so-called Democrats who
say: 1--WE are straight Democrats and you
can vote as you please on the lottery ques-
ton" Those men are wolves in Sleeps
clothing. (Applause.) Don't you take
part in any political movement or in any
political club which does not hold up its
right hand and say it is lottery or anti
lottery. Let these politicians know who
are crawling about through this city try
ing to reach public office by lodging this
question that they can not carry water on
both shoulders and that they have to get
on one side or the other. (Applause.)
Now, my friends, what is the
OBJECTION TO LOTTERY?
What is the objection to the support of a
State by lottery? So great, so over
powering, SO overwhelming that if the
lottery should consent and agree to erect
a schoolhouse in every square; if they
should consent and agree to put school
teacher over every three of your children
in the city; if they should consent to erect
barriers over which the Mississippi river
should never climb; if they should consent
to support all of the charitable institutions
and even your whole governmentI go
further-if they should consent to pave
this city with gold-you could not, as free
men, as American citizens, as Democrats,
you could not accept it. (Great applause)
lottery means what? The lottery makes
money, my friends. How2 1t makes
money by selling lottery tickets; it makes
money by arranging scheme whereby
the lottery is bound to win and the people
who buy the tickets are bound to lose.
daughter A voice: That's very nice for
the lottery")
Now let us suppose that we have an
honest lottery to deal with, and | shall
explain to you directly what / mean by
an honest lottery. l mean lottery not
allowed
EGE TO sWINDLE THE PEOPLE;
a lottery which distributes certain por-
ton of all the dollars it takes in in prizes
mean lottery where the whole profit
that is made on it goes to the government
and no portion goes to an intermediary
gambler between the purchaser of the
ticket and the government. itself. Let us
suppose that we had a proposition of that
sort to deal with and that we were asked
to support a proposition to pay the ex-
penses of the government of the State of
Louisiana by means of a lottery. We ask
the question: Where do you get your
money? We sell tickets! Very well. |
You make profit out of the sale of the
tickets-you are bound to make profit or
you could not conduct lottery. Then |
comes the question, who buy lottery tick
cts? Where does the burden of support
ing this government come from? DO rich
corporations buy lottery tickets? Do
banks, do railroad or insurance compa-
nies buy lottery tickets? "a voice: "Yes.')
No. he is no such fools. Ifhe did he would
be pauper; he could not be rich man.
(Applause.) / tell you, my friends, that
the people
WHO BUY LOTTERY TICKETS
are the poor, the ignorant, the deluded
women and children, the workingman, |
servants, drunken people Qaughter)-all
of that great body of men in society who
are unable to count, and to calculate, and
to think and to measure things and de-
termine chances are the people who are