The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1892-04-16
The Lottery in the Constitution,

We don't believe there is among
the supporters of the lottery a man
who thinks the charter of the lottery
company is or can be any portion of
the constitutional law. To make our
meaning clear to those who are not
lawyers: Is a charter to Morris & Go.
to carry on a lottery necessary to pre-
vent the legislative, executive or
judicial departments of the State
from infringing or ~trampling upon the
rights of the citizen-his rights of
property, his personal security of per-
son, his right to make a living in any
honorable. honest pursuit he may
choose; to tax his right 10 vote or
his right to worship God according
to his own conscience? We believe
this enumeration embraces all tine
elements of civil liberty. AS already
stated, we don't believe there is among
the supporters of the lottery a man
who is such an idiot as to think the
charter of the lottery company Is
necessary in the remotest degree to
secure or protect any n of those ele-
menus of civil liberty. We will fur
Their state that if the above enumera-
ton does not include all the elements
OF liberty, there is not a supporter of
the lottery company who can point out
any other ELEMENT to which the charter
of the lottery company is the slightest
safeguard.
We presume it will not, indeed it
cannot, be disputed that the sole pur-
pose of constitutional law is to protect
those rights we have enumer sted or
any Of the rights which arc essential.
Then why put the charter of the lot
terry company in the constitution?
Why put it in the constitution and
not also put in the charter Of the
Texas & Pacific railroad or the charter
of the slaughter-house company?
Either of them is as much constitu-
tional law as that of the charter of the
lottery company. What answer shall
we have from the supporters of the
lottery?
The answer must be, it is not to
prevent the legislative, executive and
!, judicial departments from infringing
on or taking away any of the liberties
of the citizens, but to put the lottery
) company beyond the authority of the
| legislative, executive and judicial de-
partments of the government. This
means that / want to put the lottery
company above the people. exempt il
: from their authority, put it above theii
legislation, above their courts ano
above their Governor; that | want t.
l exempt this company from the taxa
!, ton to which citizens and other cor,
porations are subject, to exempt its
charter from forfeiture. to which the
; charter of older corporations arc sub
! ject. This is the effect of ENGRAVING
! this lottery company in the constltu,
ton. 1t erects a few men, Morris ane
Herwig and others associated witt
$ them, into a privileged class, for wha
: constitutes q privileged class but indi
i yiduals exempt from laws to which
other citizens, whether as corporations
D or individuals, are subject, individual
who have rights above the rights o
e others? Is it any answer to say tina
this exemption is bought? Are priv
|, leges bought from a people less in
a imical to liberty than privileges ex
to-ted by violence from a slough PEG
| pie? Are a people who have sold gu
, to an autocrat less slaves than a PEG
, pie who have bowed their necks to hi
yoke from craven fear? If this auto
crat refuses TO pay his bride, how i
i, the charter 10 be forfsited2 III,
: courts cannot decree its nullity be
cause they cannot repeal or adjudicatt
J away any portion of the constitution
Z The constitution and the lottery com
= pany are above the courts. If thi
. autocrat continues to bribe the Legis
] lature as it has done for ten years
9 where is the Governor or Court of Ap
e peals for redress? Il can proudly re
p tort: / I'm a part Of the constitution
my existence is independent of you.
Is this Democracy? Has the Dem
J o~cratic party ever exalted any man 0
9 set Of men higher than the people o
exempted them from laws governin.
Il the humblest citizen? Yet this lotter,
company and its supporters claim tina
those who refuse to support the lotter,,
company are creating d~issension, split
ting the Democratic party. Will the,