The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-17

money given her by her mistress. The city was demoraiixed. It was at this time that the lottery got into politics. The lottery and "antirlot- teryp parties sprang into being. The District Attorney Parlange, Christian gentleman to whom the evils of policy appealed most strongly.
 Death Blow to Lottery. The issue was whether the charter of the company was to be renewed by
 the State Of Louisiana The scandals
 of this fight--the charges of the brfb- cry and other muck-throwing--sre still fresh in tho minds of many. It
 was at this time that the company came into malodor throughout the
 nation. When the smoke cleared away 1t was found that the 7antti-lottery" party had won.
 The finish of the fight compelled the Louisiana company to find new base
 of operation. Experienced lottery men
 declare that Mexico would have been the logical location. for there lottery
 was looked upon as legitimate. and the government accepted from the lottery companies tax on gross receipts.
 But Honduras, instead of Mexico, was | chosen, and the wayi it came to be chosen is worth the telling.
 A short time before the Louisiana l charter expired rEd" Burke, treasurer | of the State. had fallen into the care- less habit of reselling State bonds which should have been cancelled. But when the treasurer was wanted he was not to be found. Subsequently he met his wife in Cuba, and, with her. went to Teguctga1pa, the capital
 of Honduras. Mir. Burke. in choosing Honduras as his residence, showed comnendabfe intelligence, for that was. and still is, the only country
 where he could not be bothered on account of his misunderstanding with 1 the Louisiana authorities.
 Burke Manages the Deal. It happened that when the lottery officials began casting about for a
 soft place on which to alight after
 being boosted out of Louisiana, they bethought themselves of Burke. Na- gotfations were opened with the a scondins treasurer, and by him with l the government of Honduras. A deal | was closed whereby Honduras was to | give legal domicile to the lottery conn pany. As an evidence of the deca- dence of Encouragement of the lot- i tery, 1t is said that this concession could have been secured for a small sum. whereas Burke was allowed to hold up the lottery company with little less mercy than he had shown fin 1 selling cancelled bonds. This was I fifteen years ago. since which time the concern has been known as the Hon. ! duras National Lottery
 | Its legal residence abroad. however, | did not change the fact that most of I It's sales were in the United States. l For twenty years or more the tickets
 had been printed in the establishment | or State Senator Rogers, in Whining l ton, Del, and the lists of prize num- l bers drawn had been printed in New Orleans. A year ago, during a printers
 strike in the Wilmington printing of-
 flee, some of the strikers called the attention of the government officials
 to the work being done and the place | was raided. Tickets ana machinery
 were restored. however. The printing I of the lists was transferred from New | Orleans less than two years ago to Mobile. and this establishment also was raided by the government de- | tectives.
 Aid From Express Companies.
 The enactment of the Federal law prohibiting the transmission of lottery matter through the malls was a severe blow to the business, but not as se- rfous as was supposed at the time. as
 the express comp anies promptly began
 the work of carrying the contraband matter. As the government fight grew herceF even the express companies de- clined to handle the tickets and lists,
 and the company was forced to dis@ tribute them by messenger.
 The profits of the Louisiana lottery crowd during the years of it's existence can be approximatedtkrom known fig- ures. For instance, the largest months
 business ever done by the company
 was the last month before the removal
 to Honduras, when $2400,0O0 was ta-
 ken in by the lottery. It is probable
 that the profits from the lottery have not been less than s25,o00,00o all told. The plan of operation called for the distribution each month of 55 per cent of all the money taken in for prizes. Agents commissions averaged 20 per cent, administrative and miscellaneous expenses averaged 6 per cent, which left 20 per cent of net profit.
 The gross income of the company figured on this basis must, then, have been at least s125,0JO.Ovv during its life.
 The biggest lottery city in the Uni ted States, as shown by the sales of the tickets of this company, was Chi cago. James (commonly known as "Doc') Moore had been the Chicago agent for many years. succeeding his formerly were as high as Ss5,000 6 this one company; and when the ex- ment agents on the case claimed that Moore's sales were $6O.0o0 month.
 Made Thousands of Profit.
 Thfa Chica pO aOAnatr af fhfa new rnra.