El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-02-14


~ canal workers from buying the
tickets Of the Panama lottery In
der me laws in force in the canal zone
no tickets can be sold within that ter
rltory, but as soon as the canal en-
ploye crosses the line between Ancon
and Panama City. or between CristobaI
and Colon, he meets the ticket sellers
everywhere. 1t 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. 1t
Is likely that action may yet be ia
ken which will prohibit the buyers of
tickets from carrying them into the
canal zone, but even this would scarce
ly overcome the evil. The lottery has
eight more years to run under the
charter given it by the government of
Colombia
Lottery in Bishops Palace.
The Panama lottery has 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 lottery and look
into the sacred precincts of the ca
thedral when its doors are opened.
Some of the best patrons of the lot
terry are priests.
While many of the padres of Pan
anna are as clean physically and have
as high ideals as the best church
men in more northern countries, there
are some who see no harm in buying
a lottery ticket or making a wager
on cock fight OF course its is moth
ing more than a difference in the moral
view. The Spanish-speaking countries
are simply one hundred years behind
the times.
Washington and Lotteries.
George Washington, that paragon OF
patriotic devotion TO the public welfare
in his day thought nothing of buying
a lottery ticket or of presiding at a
drawing. One may read in his pri-
Vate diary where he paid so pounds
sterling for his share of 100 tickets
in one lottery. and where at another
time he presided at colonel Moore's
drawing When Westover. colonel Will
liam Byrd's famous estate on the James
river, was about to be sold for debts,
a lottery was conceived, and the fl
nances of the Byrd heirs were put into
a healthy condition as a result of the
experiment Washington took num-
Der of chances on Westover.
Lotteries in Early America.
In single session of the Virginia
legislature, 1928, there were II new
lotteries authorized. In Connecticut
one was authorized for the building
Of an insane asylum. In Massachusetts,.
famous Plymouth Beach was repaired
by funds raised from a lottery. and
even the descendants of the Puritans
did not look askance at 1t. In Mis-
souri, one OF the first acts of the legis-
lature was the authorizat ton of a lot
terry TO raise funds for a hospital
Churches were built everywhere with
money raised in this way.
Even the city of Washington itself
Of ire rn
In 1893 one was authorized to recruit
the depleted funds for the erection of
public buildings The grand prize was
advertised as a superb hotel, with
baths, outhOuses, etc. valued al S50. 600"
1t would take that amount today TO
equip the kitchen Of one of Washing
toms most modern hotels, but at that
time $4,000 hotel was considered pa
latial- There were to be two drawings,
but for some reason the second one
never was held.
LOttery's Morality.
From this it is evident that the NOR
ality Of the lottery is merely a question
of progress. The Panamanians are sim
uly behind the times Whene they permit
one to be operated. Their lottery is a
legacy of the French regime on the 18TH
mus, 1t having been chartered at the
time when De Lesseps was there. Specu- ,
lauOn and gambling We're everywhere in
evidence then, and it had a prosperity
that rivaled the old Louisiana lottery
in its palmiest days. Even now when !
the United States is doing everything in |
tits power to keep the faint of the es-
from coming even Indirectly |
into the canal zone, it has a splendid |
for, after paying all prizes, |
all expenses of operation and all trib- |
utes to the state and church. there is |
nearly 100000 in annual profits to |
be divided among the stockholders. :.
The Drawing.
Each ordinary drawing brings into the /
golfers of the lottery $4,000, one dollar !
each for the 10000 tickets sold. These /
tickets. in turn, are cut up into five
coupons, and each coupon sells for 20 /
cents. If the ticket wins and one man
holds all its parts he gets the whole
prize for which it calls, or If he holds
)nly part of the coupons he gets one
fifth of the prize for each coupon he
holds. Out of the $4,000 received from
he sale of tickets, s6.420 is returned in
prizes In addition to this the ticket
sellers get five percent and the govern
nent five percent on all sales of tickets |
teering wheel above their heads, their /,
hndiac int ho 4