Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1892-02-05
SPLIT By THE LOTTERY.
Chaos Reigns Supreme in the
Politics of Louisiana.
ONE OF THE FACTIONS IS ARMIEG,

And Bloodshed May Be the Ultimate Out
come Of the Bitter Fight-The Lottery
Goes Ont Of Business because It's Enor-
nous Earnings Had shrunk 60 Nothing
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 5.-The McEnery
regular Democrats have called meeting Of
their state central committee for Feb. IS TO
consider the lottery situation It is under
stood that it win try to arrange a com
promise BY agreeing upon fusion ticket
composed Of an equal number Of candidates
from each Of the Democratic tickets, but
the bitterness between the factions is so
great that the chances are decidedly against
reconciliation.
This bitterness has been increased by the
removal from Office Of large number Of
Democrats because they supported Nc
Emery, the regular Democratic nominee for
governor, and by the refusal to give the
regular representation at the polls. For
some weeks the Democratic state central
committee has been trying to get from Gov
ernor Nichols the pledge that he would
grant the party at least one commissioner
Of election at each polling place. This,
however, was not promised, and there have
been many threats Of difficulty at the polls
The arriv Al by the FL Paso train today Of
forty cases Of guns consigned to the chair
man Of the executive committee created a
sensation, an indication Of the critical con-
dition of affairs. The Republicans are far
more likely to come together than the Dem
ocrats, especially If there is a division among
the latter.
Their differences are not so sincere. Each
faction wants to send the delegates to the
national Republican convention but cares
very little beyond that, and they can and
will in every probability, come together in
the state ticket
why the Lottery Gave Up.
The action OF the lottery company through
Mr. Morris in refusing to accept extension
Of its charter is due entirely to the fact that
the anti-lottery postal law has made it inn
possible for the company TO carry on busi-
ness and pay the state Of Louisiana 81 250,-
coo year with profit. The scheme Of the
lottery calls for 8i9 daily and twelve month
" drawings, as follows Two grand extraor-
binary semi-annual drawings, with l00,0S0
tickets, each Of $40, yielding, if all tickets
are sold $1,000, COO ten monthly drawings,
with 100000 tickets each Of so, yielding
10000, 0oe, sl2 daily drawings with about
5000 tickets at 81 each, only a small pro
portion Of which are sold; policy tickets
without limit.
The total money ia the scheme is S5l, 332
600, If all the tickets are disposed Of The
daily drawings, however, cut only small
figure, being all sold IN Louisiana, and most
of them in New Orleans. At the height Of
its prosperity, just before the passage OF the
anti-lottery postal law in 1890, the company
was selling about sixteen-twentieths OF It's
tickets, or 10 per cent, each month, produc-
ing gross sum from the monthly drawings
Of $40, 900, 900, Of which sum 52ls per cent.
went ia prizes, Is per cent. to dealers and Is
per cent for other expenses, leaving net
revenue Of S3,348,O00 a year The daily
drawings brought in 81, 1s7 500 gross and
sS6s, 125 net, making the total revenue
sS,79S, 125.
The Profits Had DwindIed TO Nil.
From the time the law was passed the
business has shrunk swiftly. The decline
during the first month was nearly one-half
The company resorted 70 various schemes
for overcoming the obstruction and did con
siderable business through the express and
other companies, but the proportion Of
tickets sold steadily decreased, and Of late
only 20 per cent were sold. This left the
company a net profit Of only 81 600 from
the monthly drawings and not more than
s2i0,OOO from the daily drawings II was
impossible under these circumstances To
pay the state Of Louisiana an annual license
Of 81, 250,000 and carry on the business with
any chance of profit.
The company has paid as high as $50 per
cent dividends, but the last dividend was
only 40 per cent. At the time of a renewal
Of the charter in 1890 il had still four full
years to run, The company then had an
income Of between $500 600 and 81, O00, O0C
year, which was increasing at the rate OF
10 per cent, annually, the lottery scheme
having TO be changed every few years and
tickets issued in order to accommodate the
demands on it, About 15,0O0,O00 pieces o.
tickets were sold annually, and between
100000 and 4,000,O00 persons regularly pa
tronized the lottery. Had not congress in
ierfered the company stood TO make be
tween $4,000, 600 and $40 600 600 during tn,
remainder Of its charter The demand fol
an extension Of their charter, the promi
hence Of the anti-lottery sentiment, the 20
litical campaign in Louisiana and the pas
sage by congress Of the anti-lottery posta
law has cost the company nearly all tina
much money.