The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-02-04

The Louisiana Lottery Octopus at Last
Reads the Handwriting on the Wall.
Withdraws lis Request for e New lease Of Life
and Intimates that 1t will Give Up the
Fight Against the United States.
NEW ORLEANS. La. Feb. s.-The follow

NEW ORLEANS. La, Feb. 3.-The follow.
ing letter will explain itself:
ITO the People Of Louisiana:
"In the spring of 1888. 1 was. at different
times. approached by q number of prom,
inent Democrats of Louisiana, who urged
upon me the propriety. in the interest of
the finances of the State. of submitting to
the Legislature a proposition for a con-
stitutIonal amendment. which would grant
to me and my associates n lottery privll-
eye for twenty-five years. IN consld-
Grafton of n license sufficiently high
to be of material assistance to the
State. 1t was urged upon me by these
gentlemen that my associates and L should
be willing to give to the people of Louisi-
ana an opportunity of obtaining. proper
tionately, as great material benefit from
the proposed charter as the holders OF the
existing charter have obtained from the
sition would meet with little. If any. oppo-
sition under such conditions. for the oppo-
sItion to the present charter was said to be
based mainly upon the fact that the
amount of license paid was entirely made
qnate in the light of the needs of the peo-
pie to the prevention OF increased taxation
or to the reduction of present taxation by
providing for schools. levees. etc. These
suggestions prompted me to announce to
the people of Louisiana that l would ap-
give the sum of 100000 per annum
as q license tax. Until l had
announced that / would make such a
proposition to the State there had been no
opposition manifested toward the contin-
ued existence of a lottery in Louisiana.
After l had publicly submitted my offer to
the people, andl had committed myself to
its terms. to my surprise some OF the promi-
subject. and who had urged me to make
such a proposition, became opponents of
the project and aided in organizing public
hostility against 1t.
H. - 100
tlemen who still favored the propositio on,
and whose property had suffered from
overfiows of the Mississippi river. / in
creased the amount that l had originally
offered to pay as q license tax fer the priv
ilege of a new charter to 81. DOC, 900. This
latter was increased still further by the
Legislature to 81, 250.0 600 per annum. and in
this condition the amendment was ordered
to be submitted to the people by the
requisite two-thirds votes of each branch
of the Legislature.
Then began q crusade on the part of
those opposed to the proposition, inside
and outside of the State, for the purpose
of preventing the adoption of the revenue
of a lottery as Objectionable to the people
of the United States as possible. The fact
that 81, 250.00 per annum license tax,
which was to be paid to the State of LOuisi-
ana, would be derived from n business
which would come from other States and
foreign countries. brought about the enact
ment by Congress of what is now common
~ known as the anti : lottery postal
law. 1t was charged at all
times that it was my object to
negro votes against the wishes and desires
of q majority of the white people of the
State of louisiana; yet, on all occasions l
had strongly urged that the amendment
should be submitted TO the white people at
a primary election, SO that they could pass
upon the question whether they wanted the
amendment adopted or not, as l had no de-
sire to be connected with the proposition
majority Of the white people of the State Of
Louisiana.
AFTER the passage by Congress of the
'anti-lottery postal law, was informed by
q number of eminent and able attorneys,
whom 1 consulted. that this law was a
violation of the rights of the State. and Of
the freedom of the press, and such would
be, in their opinion. the decision of the Su-
preme Court of the United States. Accord
ingly test cases on the question were made
up and submitted to the court for deter
mination. From the institution of the test
cases, until now,t the opposition to the reve-
nue. amendment has intensified in its bit
terness.
Realizing thoroughIy.'m my associates and
]. that we have been incorrect in our opin-
ion of public sentiment on this question of
q new charter, and not desiring to see the
people of the State of Louisiana involved
in strife over this question. / hereby declare
upon my part. and OF the part of my associ-
ates. that we would not accept or qualify
under the amendment. even were il to be
adoped by the people at the general election
of April next.
"As the Supreme Court of the United
States has decided the anti lottery postal
law to be constitutional. 1t Is my purpose
and that of my associates to respect that
law and abstain from violating 1t in any
manner. Our offer was prompted as much
by q desire to benefit the people of Louisi-
ana as by the prospect of profit TO ourselves
from the grant as q business proposition.
My associates and l are closely identified
with the interests of the people of Louisi-
ana. as we own much property within the
borders of the State.
Convinced that the granting of another
lottery charter IN the State would he the
cause of continued agitation and discon-
tent upon the part of a number of the cIti-
zeDs of Louisiana for the entire period for
which q charter might be granted. we
would be unwilling to accept such a char
ter. even though it was given to us without
the payment of one dollar of license tax.
JOHN A. NORRIS"