St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1891-09-26

The lottery is fixture till 1895, at a small
revenue to the State. If they propose to
pay 81 10000 would it not be wise to ac-
cept the proposition and then, if need be,
in 1886 propose amendments to abolish all
| lotteries and thus make 81, ,25O,OOO and still
get rid of this terrible gambling concern" :"
DO we not have the same right at any time
to vote upon amendments to the constitu-
| ton? Could not the amendment be set
aside by subsequent vote? Why all this
| cry about selling out to Morris when the
sale can be annulled by the same process
The Lottery was creature of a Recon-
struction Republican colored legislature.
| During its existence it has controlled every
legislature except one; and though its
charter had been repealed by that one, it
managed, while the matter was pending in
the courts, to have its charter incorporated
in the constitution by Democratic con-
yention. In violation of the conditions by
which that charter was so incorporated, the
Lottery is now seeking another lease of
power; and has progressed so far as to have
passed proposed constitutional amend
ment to that effect, by two-thirds vote in
Democratic legislature, and to have it
supported by bare majority Of the SUI
preme Court In view of the past, if the
Lottery become again entrenched in the
constitution it will stay there II it can
secure two-thirds vote in hostile legis-
lature with hostile State government, it
can certainly defeat any effort to pass in
the legislature an amendment to wipe it
out of existence, when its own people are
I'M T1,a Tn4&a so
trolling small bodies of men. legislatures,
committees, etc; it fears only the people
in their sovereign capacity, and the FEEDER
al government. The time to kill the Lot
terry is at the coming election, and it will
be done if the people prove true to them
selves.
Our Lottery neighbors say it is ''very
natural in the Sheriffs" to oppose the srev-3
enue amendments" because as one of them
says:
aIf the revenue amendment prevails, it
is easy to foresee that the next legislative
gathering will cut down the six mill tax to
four or five mills. This means the curtail
ment of the Sheriffs income to the extent
of 30 or 40 per cent, as the revenue amend
ment provides for the paying of the yearly
license from the lottery directly into the
State treasury, with no Sheriffs to handle
it and no commission to them"
The Lottery amendment does not pro-
pose any reduction of taxation; it appor-
tions and appropriates the Lottery revenue
for specific purposes, SO that the Legisla-
ture cannot control it. The Lottery amend
ment, however, If adopted. will not go into
effect till 1895; and its success will entail
on this State host of Lottery boodler Off
cials who will take good care that their in
comes shall not be reduced-under them
no sheriffs income will be any less than
now. But, to use the argumentam dd homi-
mem, if our neighbors of the Courier and
Democrat think it unpatriotic in the Sher-
iff to oppose the Lottery amendment for
fear of curtailnent of his income, where
was their patriotism last year and the year
before, when they took 81 and sa for tax
sales which they have elamored to publish
this year for 50 and 10s? Patriotism with
them seems to be crystalized in the words
Income" !" revenue" etc.
II