Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-19
EARLY LOTTERY swINpLEs.
Fraudulent wheels Of Fortune EX'
poscd and Brokcn III.

posed ana HrOkeh VIZ
One of the most iusidious powers OF cor
ruption working upon our local government
IN the early 7os we're the fraudulent lot
terles that had purchased either open APP
I proyal or dense silence Of the other Omaha
newspapers. The Bee fearlessly attacked
these notorious gambling games and event
ually drove them out. Here are two forci-
bic editorials on this subject. The title OF
the first is, Can Lottery Swindles be
Legalized?'
July &c 1872; I'VE have before us a copy
Of the Lincoln Daily Statesman. OF July
20. 1t is an extra edition. of which, we
arc informed, more than 100. OOo copies were
scattered broadcast all over the United
States. and possibly even in Canada. Three
columns OF the front page are illustrated
with the following startling announcement:
" Tive hundred thousand dollars. Legal
drawing by authority Of the Honorable Mayor
and CITY Council of Lincoln, the state
capital of Nebraska. to erect a city hospital.
Drawing to take place September 2S, 1872;
One hundred thousand tickets will be sold.
l0,S31 cash prizes, amounting to ~S25O,OOO.
One chance in every nine to draw a prize,
making the safest and best scheme for
investment ever put before the public;
800, 600 the capital prize; whole tickets, 50.
Persons at a distance can rest assured that
their interests will be as well protected as
illNhbh inv Wei biNS'h anu BN''o''"''J
superintendent the management. Good, re-
sponsible agents wanted. Liberal commits
sions allowed. f. DALIELL,
Business Manager"
Here, then. we have another legal lot
terry, authorized by a city council, con-
trary to the provisions of our state consti-
tuition. How a city council can legalize
such a monstrous swindle is beyond our
comprehension. Mr.. Dalzell, 1t will be re-
membered, opened what he was pleased to
call the Nebraska State Lottery, in our
midst. We exposed the fraud and the
concern, re-christened under the new name
of Combination Lottery, to sell 100000 tick
cts at So, in order to give away $3.50 900, is
a scheme which offers a very safe invest
ment for the dealer in this grand game of
faro. why a people claiming to be pos
sessed of some moral perceptions can per
nit or sanction such a barefaced swindle
in the name of a worthy charity, we are
at a loss to comprehend. OF all the
schemes for plundering the Woodworking
masses and depraving their moral character,
these lotteries and gift enterprises are the
most dangerous. Few mechanics anu Ia
borers can be induced to enter a faro or
keno den. When, however. brilliant en-
dorsements are held out to get rich by one
turn of a wheel, when at the same time
they are told that in purchasing a lottery
ticket they are aiding in a noble charity,
thew are placed under the magnetic spell of
the great lottery gambler, and few can re-
sist the temptation to risk the last dollar
they have in the world. Here is a scheme
for your preachers and missionaries. IL
they understand the corroding influence
which such institutions exert on a great
mass of the community by the gllttering
inducements, they certainly cannot remain
silent spectators and permit these soul
destroying agencies to spread In all uIrec-
lions like some contagious disease. Like
moths, attracted by the gas light for self
destruction. these thousands of human vic
Tins are drawn on by these gilded and at
~tractive misrepresentation, to be dlsap-
pointed, and give way in turn to other
thousands who seem not to heed the eXpen-
sive lesson taught them by the sad eX-
perience of their predecessors in toiiy. no
how many Crosby opera mouse VIC
tins are filling the air with curses, the
fools are apparently not all dead yet. In
our opinion a city council or any county
or state officer that will countenance or
to legalize a lottery or gift enter
prise should be subject to severe penalties
or the pimp for the designation
house. the heightened official endorsing a
lottery Is to the impostors who spread their
endorsements before 100, 900 gullible people
who should read bribery In some shape IN
every name thus presented
OMAHA LIBRARY GIFT ENTERPRISE.
August %, 1871: 1--WE have before us a
circular intended for distribution to agents
who are expected to work lndustrlously IN
selling tickets to the so-called gitt enter
or properly called lottery. for the
purpose of purchasing a public library for
The circular in question has the
of the press, composed OF the
Herald. Figaro and Alta, to sus-
tain its managers in bolstering up their
scheme Of Generalization The Tribune.
having secured a long-paying advertise
ment of the concern, is made to say: The
is very liberal. The managers, who
are among our most respected citizens, en-
gage in this enterprise for the benefit of
the public library The Herald is quoted
as saying: Great credit is certainly due to
the managers for the straightforward, bust
manner in which they have con-
Quoted their dealings. They tully under
stand their business So does the Herald,
has a good job of printing from that
source. The v~irtuous Figaro and the canine
member of the happy family, indivisible like
The Siamese twins, are loud and enthusiastic
in praising the grand scheme. As the
are being sold principally in dis
tant towns, where this enterprise and the
responsible parties who are running it
are unknown, we wish for their sake to ask
/, few pertinent questions. Who are these
and responsible citizens? Who
is authorized to receive this grand library
the game Is played? VIII not this
way Of advertising our city be detrimental
to it's fair fame should the managers be
unable to dispose of the $1,000 tickets
by September II, or should II turn out like
al other gift enterprises-a big thing on
There are hundreds of industrious
mechanics and laborers who are induced by
he endorsement or shameful silence of
public journals like the Tribune and Herald
10 invest their earnings in this legalized
ottery scheme. when all precedents point
hem out to be not much better than
gambling. If we misunderstood
his extraordinary scheme to enlighten the
ignorant masses by a free public library,
ct us know where the mistake lies. Until
hen we would advise people who want to
become rich suddenly to go SLOW"
GOSSIP DOU WOMEN.