The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-02-05
TIE END OF THE LOUISIANA LOTTERY.

The collapse of the Louisiana Lottery
Company is SO sudden as to make itsen-
%sationai. 1t is the unexpected. Two
years ago, in defiance of public senti-
ment, and unwilling to pay the price
which Louisiana demanded for re-char-
ter, the company went to North Dakota
and made the Legislature of that State
such an offer for a charter that the ma
jority might have yielded had not the
public press protested and the influence
of the administration at Washington
been turned against it. Bafied there.
the managers returned to Louisiana,
determined to secure a renewal of the
company's charter. July 20. 1890, Pres
ident Harrison sent a message to Con
gress urging that authority be given to
purge the mails of all letters, newspa-
pers, circulars, etc., relating to the
President declared that by the Louisiana
lottery 1.-THE people of all the States are
debauched and defrauded." He pointed
out that "the use of the mails is quite as
essential to the companies as the State
license" and predicted that "it would
be practically impossible for these com
panies to exist if the public mails were
once effectively closed against their adj
v~ertisements and remittances.n He de-
nounced the use of the mails by these
companies as ga prostitution of an
agency only intended to serve the pur-
poses of a legitimate trade and decent
social intercourse" He called attention
to the fact that the agents of the
Louisiana company did q business in
Washington which involved o larger
business enterprise in the District of
Columbia. Congress passed the anti
lottery act and the Postmaster-general
set about enforcing it with his charac-
t~eristic energy. He met with much Op-
position. Newspapers which were adj
vertising lotteries were spiteful and
defiant, and, when they were made
to feel the force of the law,
very abusive. In the course of
q month the vigorous enforcement of
the law caused an enormous falling off
in the receipts of the company. Law
yers declared that the law was uncOn-
stltutional, and test cases were made
and carried to the Supreme Court by
h lottery people. confident of victory.
Meanwhile the conflict over the charter
went on in Louisiana, the company
finally bidding $3.50, 900 per annum for
the privilege of q charter. Governor
Nichols opposed the proposition. but.
member by member the company Sc
cured a majority of the Legislature and
pushed through a proposition to submit
the scheme to the people. Governor
Nichols vetoed it, but his veto was
overruled. The Secretary of State re-
fused to promulgate the proposition, but
the Louisiana Supreme Court issued a
mandate compelling him to do so. The
Democratic party was broken into fac
tons over the question, and a most Bit
ter contest was going On preparatory to
the election in April, when the Supreme
Court of the United States, in
an unqualified opinion. declared the
dnbi-lOttCEy INV COnSeltutAOtfhis <1u0
now President Morris, of the Louisiana
Lottery Company, to the
people of Louisiana that, if voted, the
company will not accept the charter
with the conditions imposed, giving
practically as the reason that, under
the federal anti-lottery law, the fran
chise would have no value. thus verify
ing President Harrison's prediction that
il would be impossible for lottery com
panies to exist without the privilege of
the mails.
1t has not been until recently that the
public has understood the magnitude of
the robbery which the Louisiana COM
pany has been p~erpetrating, but since
the contest has been going on in Louisi-
ana it has been disclosed that this com
pany has taken from the poor people of
the country not less than $50. 000, 600 a
year. Year by year its schemes have
become more and more fraudulent, un-
til 90 per cent. of the money is taken
by the company and its agents. The
managers may possibly undertake
some other method of getting at
their victims, but, with the mails
closed against them and having
been branded as a conspiracy to plumber,
the Louisiana company. which has de-
bauched the politics of that State. can
scarcely get into n position to make
further depredations. Moreover, the as
sault upon the lottery which was begun
by the President has been taken up by
the moral forces of the country, so that
this species of gambling has beer dis
credited wherever people read daily
newspapers. The address of President
Morris, declaring that the lottery COM
pany will go out Of business, is one of
the triumphs of the Harrison admins
tration.