The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-01-28
OUR MERCHANTS
GIVEN A JOLT ! |
Forced To Lay of On Great
Scheme to Stimulate Busi-
ness Here

trict, threw a bomb into the
camp of the. Retail Merchants
Association of Elizabeth City
last Saturday morning and dis
sipated their glorious Scheme to
give away a self-starting Ford
automobile and $3.50 in cash
prizes for the purpose of stimu-
lating trade in this city. The
merchants, all of them law abid-
ing citizens, have abandoned
| their scheme
The merchants announced their
plan last week. For ten days be-
ginning Saturday, January 20, every
store in the Association would give
| a numbered coupon for every dollar
spent or paid on account in their
stores. The receivers of the cou-
pons would deposit their numbers in
sealed receptacles and public draw
ings would determine the prize win
ners.
Similar trade stimulating con-
tests are being conducted by mer-
chants all over the state. One of the
most successful Of these contests was
recently conducted in Kinston and
no one was prosecuted for it. The
merchants in Elizabeth City were
| assured by secretaries of Chambers
of Commerce in other cities that the
scheme was within the law. But in
walked Solicitor Ehringhaus with
Sections 4427-2S-29 of the Consoli-
dated Statutes, warning the mer-
chants of Elizabeth City that they
would be prosecuted if they tried to
do in Elizabeth City what merchants
everywhere have done, and what the
Solicitor himself has permitted hun
dreds of peripatetic takers to do at
every fair and street carnival held
in Elizabeth City or Pasquotank
County since the Solicitor has been
in office.
And here is the law:
Art. "a, Sec. 4427: eff any
one, by writing or printing or by 1
circular or letter OF in any y~other
way. advertise or publish an ac-
count of a lottery, whether with
in or without this state, stating
how, when or where the same is
to be or has been drawn or what
are the prizes therein or any of
them or the price of ticket or
any shafe or interest therein or
where or how it may be obtained
he shall be guilty of misde-
meanor."
Art. 81, Sec. 442S: If any
person shall open, set on foot,
carry on, promote, make or draw,
publicly or privately, a lottery,
by whatever name, style or title
the same may be denominated or
known; or if any person, by such
way and means expose or set to
sale any house, real estate,
goods, chattels, cash, written evil
dence of debt, certificate of claims
or any other thing of value what
soever, every person SO offending
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor,
and shall be fined not exceeding
two thousand dollars or impris-
oned not exceeding six months, or
both, in the discretion of the court.
Any person who engaged in dis
posing Of any species of property
whatsoever, including money and
evidences Of debt, or in any man
ner distributes gifts or prizes up
on tickets or certificates sold for
that purpose, shall be held liable
to prosecution under this sta
tute." i
Art. "a, Sec. 4429: 'If any.
~ afh
wise dispose of any lottery ticket
or order for any. number or shares
in any lottery, or shall in any
way be- concerned in such lottery
by acting as agent in the state
for or on behalf of any such lot
terry, to be drawn or paid either
out of or within the state, such
person shall be guilty Of mis-
demeanor and shall be punished
as provided for in the preceding
section"
So much for the law; now for the
definition of lottery. Webster's
New International Dictionary, con-
sidered an authority by courts Of
law, defines lottery as follows:
ga scheme for the distribution
of prizes by lot or chance; especi-
ally a scheme by which one or
more prizes are distributed by
chance among persons who have
paid or promised a consideration
for chance to win them, usually |
as determined by the number Of |
tickets as drawn on a lottery |
+ wheel"
Every punch board, every candy !
wheel and most other chance
schemes fall within the meaning of |
the North Carolina lottery law; but |
the law was enacted for the specific
purpose OF breaking up the old Loui- !
siana type of lottery and officers of
the law have winked at technical and
minor violations of the statutes. But |
Solicitor Ehringhaus has an alertI
and active conscience. Nothing es-
capes him if he sees it. He happen |
CONTINUED on Page g.