Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-15
Some Things You Want to Know
The Panama Lottery.

Efforts are being made to prevent canal
workers from buying the tickets OF the
Panama lottery. Under the laws in force in
the canal zone no tickets can be sold
within that territory. but as soon as the
canal employe crosses the line between
Ancon and Panama City, or between Girls
tobal and Colon, he meets the ticket sellers
everywhere. II 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 taken which will pro-
hibit the buyers OF tickets from carrying
them into the canal zone, but even this
would scarcely overcome the evil. The evil
has eight more years to run under the
charter given it by the government Of
Colombia.
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 Of the
Panama lottery and look into the sacred
precincts of the cathedral when it's doors
are opened. Some Of the best patrons OF
the lottery are priests. While many of the
haANo VI AA@Ah ~ A01A ~
and rave as high ideals as the best
churchmen in more northern countries,
there are some who see no harm in buy
ing a lottery ticket or making a wager
on a cock fight. OF course, it is nothing
more than a difference in the moral view.
The Spanish speaking countries are simply
100 years behind the times.
George Washington, that paragon of pa
triotic devotion to the public welfare, in his
day thought nothing Of buying a lottery
ticket or presiding at a drawing. One may
read in his private diary where he paid
fifty pounds sterling for his share of 100
tickets in one lottery, and where at an
other time he presided at Colonel Moore's
drawing. When Westover, Colonel William
Byrd's famous estate on the James river,
was about to be sold for debts, a lottery
was conceived, and the finances of the
! Byrd heirs were put into a healthy condi-
ton as a result of the expedient. Washing
ton took a number OF chances on West
over.
In a single session Of the Virginia legis-
lature, 1sS2-1S33, there were twelve lotteries
authorized. In Connecticut one was auth
orized for the building OF an insane asylum.
In Massachusetts, famous Plymouth beach
was repaired by funds raised from a lot
terry, and even the descendants of the Pur-
itans did not look askance at 1t. In Mis-
souri, one of the first acts Of the legislature
was the authorization of a lottery to raise
funds for a hospital. Churches were built
with money raised IN this way.
Even the city of Washington itself owes
some Of it's beauties to a lottery. In 1898
one was authorized to IecI 1t the depleted
funds for the erection of public buildings.
The grand prize was advertised as "a
superb hotel, with baths, outhouses. ETC.,
valued at $4,000" 1t would take that
amount today to equip the kitchen of one
of Washington's most modern hotels. but
at that time a $4,000 hotel was considered
p~alatial. There were to be two drawings,
but for some reason the second one was
never held.
From this it is evident that the morality
of the lottery is merely a question of prog
ress. The Panamanians are simply behind
the times when they permit one to be
operated. Their lottery is a legacy OF
the French regime of Fthe isthmus, it
having been chartered at the time when
De Lesseps was there. Speculation and
gambling were everywhere in evidence then,
and it had a prosperity that rivalled the
old Louisiana lottery In it's palmiest days.
Even now, when the United States is doing
everything in it's power to keep the faint
of the establishment from coming even
indirectly into the canal zone, it has a
splendid prosperity. for, after paying all
prizes, all expenses of operation and all
tributes to the state and church, there is
nearly 10000 in annual profits to be
divided among the stockholders.
Each ordinary drawing brings into the
Golfers of the lottery $4,000, 81 each for the
10000 tickets sold. These tickets. in turn
are cut up into five coupons, and each
coupon sells for 20 cents. II the ticket
wins and one man holds all it's parts he
gets the whole prize for which 1t calls. oil
II he holds only part of the coupon. hC
gets ono-fifth Of the prize for each coupor
he holds. Out of the 10000 received from
the sale of tickets, $500 is returned ir
prizes. In addition to this the ticket sell
ers get 5 per cent and the government
8 per cent on all sales of tickets, so tina
in a completely subscribed drawing th'
gross profit to the lottery company is $3.50
In spite Of the fact that the ticket buyel