St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-08-08
VIEWS OF A VETERAN DEMO-
Graf.
BATON Rouge Advocate,


The Advocate was surprised and pleased to
see in the last number of the Vernon News a
letter on current public issues from the pen OF
Hon. John R. Smart. This venerable man Is
| now in the 85th year of his age His name Is
known throughout Louisiana by all its older
people, and it is the synonym OF all that is
honorable and patriotic. He is sterhns old
democrat of the Jacksonian type, steadfast IN
faith and pure and incorruptible in character
During his long and honorable career ne has
always had the confidence of the people IN
his integrity, justice and wisdom; LOT nan
century he has proved his worth by tests that
never tempted him to deviate a hairs breadth
from the path of rectitude, and under all CIR
cumstances he has passed through the cruclble
of public duty, refined and purified his honor
untarnished and his character pure gold. And
now in the evening of his life, when the shad,
again, with voice as from the heroic past,
and gives his views on a question that has
stirred up modern moralists to the very depths
In letter courteously declining to attend an
educational picnic in his parish, because, as ne
says, if he attended he would make speech
on the subject and in that connection would
upavoidabIy be drawn into discussion OF the
lottery question, which he evidently thought
would not be agreeable to some of his hearers
the venerable old statesman and patriot can
not resist the temptation to say. few words
on the subject anyhow, and his views have the
ring of patriotic conviction and the stamp OF
mature wisdom. He says:
81 believe that the proposition of the lottery
company to donate 81 100000 to the State an
nually for % years amounting in all to S3l 25o,-
600, in return for the privilege of selling lottery
tickets should summon the consideration ana
meet the endorsement of every man IN the
State. This muniticent donation is wisely
made for the benefit of the charitable instltu-
! tons and most important public improvements
of the State for the support and construction
OF which we will have to be taxed or they
abandoned Its acceptance will increase our
public school fund some four fold. thus en-
abling us to have six or eight months school
each year, where We now have one or two
with better school houses better teaGhers and
they better paid. 1t should De rememnered
that this large sum is not the result OF taxa
ton, and 81 per cent of the pre- cecds OF the
sale of tickets comes from outside OF the state
and is left Ill the State, thus enriching rather
than impoverishing her. Why then should not
every man in the State vote for the revenue
amendment cannot conceive.
The opponents of the measure present no
argument, in support OF tneir position, only
is q gambling institution" and raise their
hands in holy horror at its immortality. deny
it's being a gambling institution. attmlt
that the purchaser of lottery ticket takes all
chances OF drawing blank, but do those who
take the chances of loss or gain in an invest
ment of any kind gambler Is chance the
essential element of gambling: II SO then every
avocaton of life is hut gambling. The farmer
plants his crop in the hope of gain and takes
the chance of tho casualties being against him.
The merchant invests his money in the nope
Of rich harvest of profit and often fails. Inc
hunter even is subject to chance and often
fails to realize anything from days toll then,
have any of them been gambling? heard one
Of the anti speakers down at Shutdown last De
cemDer say :'it originated in hell and was run
by the devil" If that is correct then we who
advocate it must be imps of the devil and
bound for hell. If that is so, God being no res
pecter of persons, We Will meet there with the
Immortal Washington and Jefferson together
with the sgners OF the Declaration OF indie:
pendence and all the members of the CONT
mental congress, and almost every prominent
man that lived in what has always been con-
coded to be the best days of the American Re
public, together with thousands of illustrious
men who have lived since ; many of them ma
tlyes OF our State, of whom every LOuisianian
is proud. say, God being no reSpecter of per-
sons, if our advocacy of the lottery amendment
dOOms us to hell, then we must meet all those
illustrious men there because indisputable his
tory shows them all to have advocated the pro-
position to raise means for public purposes by
lottery schemes.
I would say, fight card playing, and all the
various gambling games including those houses
OF Ill fame that are licensed by all the large
cities, and all the drinking bells that keep up
the criminal dOckets of our courts, much
you please and I'll bid You god speed. But
when the lottery, from which no criminal case
ever orig mated, makes you a proposition the
acceptance of which will advance the noblest
interests of your State, I ask you to hesitate
long before you permit an idle sentiment to
cause you to reject it."