The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-17
THE MONSTER At THE DOOR.
A Cynical View Of the American Oppo-
.sition to Cuban Lotteries.

To THE EDITOR OF The SUN-Sir: Ihav
been quite prepared for the Pecksnifaal
lament over the reestablishment 10 Cub
Of q national lottery. 1t is no bushes
Of the United States. of course: but hat /
no reason why Americans should not cele
brate . recently established virtue and or!
shame at all who do not tread in our still
fresh footsteps. Our country has don
away with lotteries. Why in the first iusl
Of its own rectitude should It not reproacl
all who lag behind the march Of It's own par
ticular morality?
Every reader OF history knows that lot
teries were used for various purposes II
the early days Of this republic. Georg,
Washington was not wholly u~nconnectec
with them In his day. The famous Maury
family Of Virginia wa identified with then
In the early nineteenth century. Their,
were lotteries in New Jersey. Kentuck,
and Louisiana up to q very few years ago
Settlers lands are distributed on the lottery
principle. seats in the Capitol also. anc
many corporations to this day redeem theil
bond by the same token. It IL true tina
the lottery az q gambling device has beer
abolished. and we Americans are 90 inflated
with strange Righteousness in consequence
that 1t seems necessary. or at least becom-
ing, to denounce every one who hasn't
fallen in with our procession.
The United States has abolished all sorts
OF practices in its insular possessions
cockighting. open air gambling, the bull
ring and various other relaxations suited
TO the climate and the inherited temporal
ment Of the people. Wherever Americans
60 they take with them their snug little
Procrustean bed. Those who are not long
enough for 1t are stretched. those who are
too long get sawed Oh. In any event q
perfect At is produced. and our oountrymen
are complacent. not 10 say unctuous, &C
cordingly. Down In New Orleans thirty
Ave years ago they would tell you at the
lottery office that their most opulent mar
ket was In Boston. They did business In
havana and everywhere else. but for eager
ness and reliability Boston was faciIe
princeps. In fact. the chief dinIculty
was to meet Boston's requirements and at
the same tine keep back something for non-
Yankee and more stu ggish appetites. But
II is all over now The occasional arrest
Of q dealer In Spanish. Mexican or German
lottery tickets shows that beneath q pious
and SNUG surface Americans still make
their little play. but they are gradually
getting out Of sight. and that seems TO be
the chief II not the only object OF the pro-
fessionally righteous.
Now 1t appears among the more insist
ent complaints Of the truly good that this
Cuban lottery will not only degrade the
morality OF IN island we Of America have
done 80 much to elevate to our level, but
will In fact present new temptations here
at home to a population that IL really good
by law but still In need Of vigilant protec-
ton. Ten years or 30 ago our virtue was
imperilled by the persistent political dis
order there. Now that we lave cured al!
that. dispelled the Spanish tyrAnt and given
Cuba . few years OF illustrated education
In our brand Of civilization-eood for ali
communities and climes-we nnd ourselves
confronted by q reaction.
As I said before. IL Is really mono OF our
business. The Cubsns are governing them
selves. and. theoretically at least, II they
want . lottery II Is their privilege to have
one. But there is righteousness In the alb
stract. and there are our own weak kneed
thousands whom legislation has not yet quite
Think Of that!
NEW York. May 10. AHTI-CANr.