The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-02-25

National Lottery
Proposal Again
Bobbing up
RY charIet p. stewart

BY Charles p. Stewart
A financial pinch on a national
scale never fails to elicit advoca'
cies OF a government lottery. They
are starting now in connection
with our war effort.
II is a method OF moneyraising
with certain arguments, from the
revenue-seeker's standpoint. in its
favor.
The contributor is not agsrayat-
ed by having some official cOllec,
tor levying on him virtually at the
point OF a shotgun. He coughs mp
his dough voluntarily, and, il he
is good gambler enjoys it. In
fact, IL he wins a few dollars, he
is delighted. and. il he does he u
accustomed to doing so-at poker,
the horses and similar CANDLES.
Hard luck is the fiercest thing
he says about II.
1t is a psy-in-adyance PROPOSE
ton also.
The government mulctS a Citi-
zen for all the taxes il can squeeze
out of him, but il cannot squeeze
out what he does not have and Ii
is hard for the government to de
termine exactly how much THAT
is. The lottery investor, how.
ever. plsnks down his currency
before he gets his ticket; other
wise he does not get il.
Then the government. like any
other gambling house proprietor.
holds out what It considers its fair
Tor excessively proportion OF over
head. and splits up the smallish
remainder among the rev lucky
chaps; none too literally, either.
But the lucky birds are tickleG
pink and the unlucky ones do not
realize that they have been frisk-
ed for the other guys-and the
gambling joint.
Private games OF chance are
illegal. but, if they are OF the re
spectacle type. they stick TO their
Interpretation OF honesty. They
have to, or they could not hold
their customers.
Poker games, among close
friends, are in a different classifi.
cation. They rate as amusement,
OF somewhat extra-legal charac-
ter, but just social, anyway.
Regular gaming houses. how
ever, have long been recognized as
pernicious.
Now. ought the federal govern
ment formally to adopt them into
its system TO begin conducting
them2
A national lottery always seem.
ed TO me a mighty undienifieo
mot TO say immoraD system for
a big government to try to help
financing itself in. will gamble.
on occasion, but | hate to see it
governmentalized.
lottery is being urged.
II will be urged on a postwar
basis. too.
II is postwar planning, OF
course. Nevertheless, it seems 10
be what we are coming into.
With the average guy it is a
gamble.
Right now he is due to be bank.
rnpt anyway in short order.
The average middle-class sal
aried man cannot pay his current
income tax without borrowing.
The concern ! borrow from is so.
ciable enough as TO immediate ad-
yances. but / do not believe il
would be il 1t realized tightly |
am due TO be pinched presently.
Or else | will have TO restrict my
household expenses TO the verge
OF impossibility.
All right Suppose | gamble on
a governmental lottery. n draw
a prize. all will be comparatively
well. But suppose | get a blank
when the drawing is completed,
have lived in countries where
they have government lotteries.
| never lived in one, though. where
a good number was so imperative.
The demand in the United
States is voiced in Congress ana
reflected in the press.
II Is due to become more inten.
sive.
Well. 1t is cheap. bunkum
way OF raising government money
that Is obvious.
The notions to get more cash
that folk have available.
This wars a gamble. anyway, "
say the critics. Lets gamble on
II up to the limit"
Ordinary gambling is sin.
That is agreed How about inter
national gambling?
That is sin, too. OF course, but
who's sin is it? The calculation
is that $l-gamble is a Sl-sin, out
Of S5-merit.
The urgent demand is for a
maximum limit.