The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-15

sNk the Panama Lottery Under the
y Haxr a., forca d, sha f~arn, 49, -
Il $500 NV
1 ss] van pe soin WITHIN mat ter
xsxory. but as soon as the Canal en-
p3cye crosses the tine between Ancon
sszAnd Panama City, or between Cristo-
nal and Colon. he meets the ticket
sellers everywhere. IL Is known that
many Of the Canal employees are
wasting their money on the lottery.
but as yet there has been no way to
protect them II Is likely that action
may yet be taken which will urohibit
the buyers of tickets from CARRYING
them into the Canal Zone. but even
this would scarcely overcome tho evil.
The lottery has eight more wears 10
run under the charter given II by
the government of Colon bia,
The Panama Lottery mas Its home
in the Bishops Palace, and is within
a stones throw of the Cathedral
itself. In fact. one can stand In front
OF the counter at the Panama Lot
terry and look into the sacred pre-
cincts OF the Cathedral when Its doors
are opened. some of the best patrons
OF the lottery are priests. While
many of the padres Of Panama are as
clean physically and have as high
ideals as the best ohurchmen in more
northern countries. there are some
who see no harm In buying a lot
terry ticket or making a wager on a
--x.sss,s f,.-e.s I. nothing
mere than q difference In the NOR. Il
view. The Spanish speaking coun-
frtes are Simply one hundred years
hef,snd the times
George washington. that paragon
Of patriotic devotion to the public
welfare. in his day thought nothing
or buying a lottery ticket or OF pre-
siding at a drawing. One may read
IN his private diary where he paid
City pounds sterling for his share
OF hundred tickets in one lottery,
and where at another time he presided
1T Colonel Noore's drawing W heh
Westover. Colonel william Byros
famous estate on the James river, was
about TO De SOLD Tor deots, io'tery
was concerned. ana the Hnances on
the Byrd heirs were put into heai.ns
cnnoiuon a. result OF she eAper
mshs- " asnlus.oh tooh hoiA"ei VA
chsnces oh " es.oa $500. ~, x-,~x;,,,,
I'll Sis ,.ss Va vac 49,.
1900 ,,.,nrt-,a II Con-
$1,000 80 u,as au,hor,yed for the
s.sssss u xaara .r,,s,,m In
rsassa .n,,sa,ta samo,,x Plvmouth
paasn rraa rsnatrnd nv funds raised
f,.,,.,, q lottery and even the descen-
a.nrx m the purttaus did not look
nskanee at Il. In Missouri one of the
firrt acts Of tho legislature was the
AUTHORIZATION Of lottery to raise
funds for a hospital Churches were
built eyery-A here with money raised
In this way.
Even the city of Washington itself
owes some of its beauties to lot
terry. In 1898 one was authorized to
recruit the depleted funds for the
erection of public buildings. The
grand prize was advertised as "a SUI
perh hotel. with baths. outhouses. etc,
valued at Atty thousand dollars" 1t
would take that amount to-day to
equip the Kitchen Of one of Wash
sngtbn's most modern hotels. but at
that time fifty thousand dollar hotel
was considered paiatiai. There were
to be two drawings, but for some rea-
SON the second one never was held.
From this II is evident that the
morality Of the lottery Is merely a
question of progress. The Panaman-
sans are simply behind the times
when they permit one to be operated.
Their lottery Is legacy of the French
regime on the isthmus, 1t having been
chartered at the time when De Les
eeps was there Speculation and
gam bling were everywhere In evil
HEnce then, ana II had prosperity
that rivaled the old Louisiana Lottery
In its paln1iest days. Even now. when
the United States is doing everything
IN It's power TO keep the faint OF the
establishment from coming even indi-
rcctly into the Canal Zone, II has
splendid prosperity. for, after paying
AL prizes. all expenses OF operation
and all tributes to the State ana
church, there Is nearly Sloo,0eo In
annual profits TO be divided among
the stockholders.
Each ordinary drawing brings into
tire ooffers Of the lottery $4,000. one
dollar each for the 10, goo tickets sold.
There tickets, In turn. are cut up into
five coupons. and each coupon sells
fur 20 cents If the ticket wins and
one man holds all sts parts he gets the
whole prize for which 1t calls, or II
he holds only part OF the coupons he
gets one~fifth of the prize for each
sceapen he hetas-0st Of the sf4, goo
rceeived from the sale Of tickets So
4.o IL returned In prizes In addition
10 this the ticket sellers get per
cent. and the government per cent
Oh all sales of tickets, so that in a
completely subscribed drawing the
gross profit 10 the lottery company Is
$3.50
In sptte of the fact that the ticket
huyer stands one hundred chances of
losing IL sixtv-four of winning the
tickets fsn da ready safe There are
All sorts OF systems pronosed for heat
Ing the game but n Is usually noticed
that the man who has a nteed
ev.tevn ~ aef,tne ahead ,u tha fei,ou