Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-02-24

thatthe project ofrenewing the char /,
ter has aroused so much bitter feeling |
in the State, which would continue |
throughout its term, and the other,
the decision of the Supreme Court |
of the United States affirming the |
constitutionality of the statute for
bidding the transmission through
the mails of lottery advertisements |
in any form. ut is my purpose
and that of my associates" he says, |
"to respect that law and abstain
from violating it in any particular"
The latter Of these assigned reas-
ons for giving up the fight is the
real reason. That the respectable
and thrifty elements of the popula-
ton of Louisiana were bitterly OPP
posed to the renewal of the charter
has been known for years. Never
theless the scheme was pushed with
unrelenting defiance of their feel
ings. 1t is commonly believed that
the consent of the Legislature to
submit the constitutional amend
ment for renewing the charter was
obtained by lavish purchasing votes.
The offer to contribute $1,250,OOO
yearly to the State Treasury for
public improvements was itself a
bride rendered to all taxpaying vot-
ers. The making of this offer tend
ed to open the eyes of the people to
the enormous profits which were
expected to accrue from this GAM
bling and to induce consideration of
the sources from which so great an
income came.
1t may not have been expected at
first that the anti-lottery sentiment
would split the political parties of
the State and precipitate condition
Of affair that threatened a bloody cleo
ton; but lately this terrible conse-
quence has seemed inevitable to all
who were acquainted with the situa-
ton. The responsibility was one
which even professional gamblers
well hesitate to incur. Whether the
controversy will now subside and
the broken Democratic Party of the
State will be reunited remains to be
seen; but probably this will be one
of the results. The fear of the tri-
umph of the Republican Party will
operate powerfully to bring it about.
The split in the Republican party is
not so serious, and it is caused in
part by other differences than those
on the lottery question.
The profits of the lottery company
have averaged, at moderate estimate,
more than three-quarters of a mil
lion dollars a year for the past
twenty years. Its capital was ST.
600, 900, and in some recent years
it's dividends are reported to have
been in the neighborhood of 200 per
cent. 1t would not have engaged
to execute the condition it offered
to the State unless its profits were
expected to be enormous. But the
anti-lottery law, if enforced, would
be destructive Of their ability to
make such sums. They did not be-
lieve it would be sustained by the
Supreme Court, and they exhausted
every means to secure its overthrow.
They failed, and they recognized at
once that the game was up. The
impossibility of doing any large bus
mess extending through the whole
country when they were excluded
from the use of the mails, either for
business communications or for
newspaper advertisements, was ap-
parent. The company could not
hope to be able to perform it's en-
yagements to the State. It would
not bepossible to secure a charter for
\ less consideration. There was
nothing to be done but to shut up
'hop, and it mast be considered that
he company has acted promptly,
seeing that the courts decision was
asst Monday.
The same condition that killed
his company will prevent the es-
adjustment of a similar institution
anywhere in the United States. 1t
nay be said with confidence that
he lottery business has been effect
tally suppressed. How great a boon
his is it will be difficult for any one
o estimate who is ignorant of the
extent Of the qualifications Of the
business and of the drain it has
made on the resources of the poorer