Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-30
Lottery Seen
As Biggest
Relief Boon
Cup Plan Commendoble
but Inadequate
By DAMON RUNYON

TuN cups are being passed
Il among movie audiences for
Army and Navy Relief. a most
commendable enterprise. to be
sure. but one that inks me no
little when / reflect that II my
suggestion for a national lottery
for the same purpose was
adopted, II would produce a
dollar for every penny that will
be raised by collections of the
kind mentioned.
The sum total of the money
raised for Army and Navy Relief
In this manner and by benefit
performances and other methods
will be far from adequate for
the families of the soldiers and
the sailors who will require as
sistance before the war Is over.
II will be a mere drop in the
bucket.
The service is increasing in
numbers daily. Soon millions OF
men will be under arms, many
of them in far ports. and with
the government making no pro-
vision for family relief. the
problem will he much too great
for civilian effort to cope with.
l am not belittling that effort.
It is magnificent to date but it
will not be enough.
1t Is possible that the govern
ment eventually will take cog
nizance Of the relief situation
by appropriations for the pur-
pose out of the public funds.
However, that is nothing you
can bank on, and SO far the gov
eminent seems content to let
private endeavor carry the bur-
den though with its approval
and some assistance from Off
Gals.
A NATIONAL lottery, to oper-
"A ate only for the duration or
perhaps a year afterwards to
take up any slack. would dis
pense with collections from an
already well-weighted public and
would take care of any needed
relief among the families of the
service. however large the serv-
ice may become.
1t would cover adequately not
only the relief but probably the
requirements of the USO, too.
This is another worthy war
work that necessarily looks to
the public for considerable sup
port though il also has gov
eminent aid.
In my opinion. national lot
terry would produce not less than
$3.50, 000, 900 profit per annum to
the government operating on the
basis of at least six drawings a
year. The greater the number
of drawings, the greater the
profit.
II would eliminate the various
petty-larceny forms of lottery
that are now known to be work.
ing in different parts Of the
United States. some of which
already have been revealed in
this column.
They are illegal. of course.
and most of them are on a very
small scale. yet in the aggregate
the sum OF money they collect
must be quite large.
WHAT some of them are for
Il worthy causes and eve n
under ecclesiastical auspices. as
in the case of church drawings.
makes them no different. tech
nically. from any other lottery.
Or ethically and morally. il you
want to 90 into that.
The numbers game Is a lot
terry. So is a drawing in a House
OF Worship with War Bond
as the capital prize. a form of
lottery that I disclosed here re-
Gently.
Some Of my readers have ex-
pressed objection to a national
lottery on the ground that IL
would courage gambling
among the public.
I am assuming that those Of
the Directing readers who live
where parimutuels betting on
horse racing is legalized ex-
pressed similar objection to the
legalizing on the same ground
and fought valiantly against the
adoption thereof.
I AM assuming that any OF my
Il New York readers who object
to lottery for the reason stated
above, are also OBJ jecting
staunchly to the continued
operation of the stock market,
as well as TO the mutuels.
II would seem to be that
these are institutions that con-
tribute to the encouragement of
gambling among the public far
more IMAM ndt1Onal lottery
could do.
This is not to imply that be-
cause something wrong Is per-
mitted to exist that something
else equally wrong is exeusable.
In other words, that two
wrongs make right. I do not
subscribe to that idea, at all.
But in this particular case Of
lottery, 1 think there is a little
more hypocrisy than the cir
cumstances call for.
Besides, I am contending for
a lottery for just the duration
of the war. not arguing that it
should have a perpetual license
ILL.,