State

Volume VI Number 41 THE STATE A Weekly Survey of North Caroline : ^ EnlfMd 4. i«ood cliu nulUr, June 1. 1933, »« the Pouofflec »t lUIeljb. North Cnrolinn. under the Ae« of M.rth Я. 1879 Lotteries for Schools Although Пи* Legislature* is haril pressed in its c*f forts to find sufficient funds for the* schools of the State, it w ill hardly resort to this old-time system of raising money. AT a tim«* when llio North <'nro- . lina General Ак'ешЫу is wrest- * line with the problem of pro¬ viding sufficient support for the pub¬ lic school system of the state, it is interesting to recall that in earlier days schools (and churches, too) often resorted to the expediency of securing funds by conducting lot¬ teries. Taxes appear to have been as un¬ popular at the turn of the 18th cen¬ tury as now. and gambling was just ns popular, so lotteries became the favored method of financing acad¬ emics. churches, bridges, canals, and other public works. No less than $150,000 was raised in North Caro¬ lina from 1707 to 1825 for school purposes alone through this means, authenticated records will reveal. What was probably the largest school lottery took place in 1811 in Caswell County, with consent of Con- oral Assembly, when Ilico Academy, located near Red House, raises! $10.000. Tickets sold for $3 each Other Lotteries Shortly before that time, I.eaksvillc Male Academy in Rockingham County secured |>craiisston from the legislature to raise $6.000 through a lottery, and in 1800 I’nion Hill Academy in Buiwomlie County was given the right to raise $5.000 in a lottery to complete the "academy for females." an institution later merged into Newton Academy situated near Asheville. In Brunswick County, Smithville Academy raised $7,000 by this method; and in Pasquotank and tty J. II. IIICKLIN Green counties $2.000 lotteries were conducted in behalf of Vixoutan and Green academies. Many other coun¬ ties used the same method for raising smaller amounts for school purposes. In 1759, the Cape Fear lottery in New Hanover County was conducted to raise funds with which to finish the churches in the parishes of St. James and St. Phillips, rather than ask the authorities to impose further taxes, and this was done with full approval of the legislature. Two thou¬ sand tickets were sold at 30 shill¬ ings each, proclamation money, and a deduction of 15 per cent of the amount, of each prize was taken for application on the churches' fund. Fifty pounds was set aside to defray ех|*спне.к of the lottery. The Biggest of All Of outstanding interest seems to have been the lottery held on Julv 10, 1834. in behalf of Salisbury Academy when 20,-185 prizes a mount¬ ing to $120.000 were awarded. A whole ticket sold for $1; one-half for $2 and one-fourth for $1. Drawings were held in Salisbury, Fayetteville. Wilmington. New Bern. Asheboro. Raleigh, Hillsboro, and other North Caroliun towns. The lottery was widely advertised ami attracted a great following. Lotteries founded on the high ami low system were numbered from one to 40,000, inclusive. On the day of the drawing, the 40.000 numbers were placed into one wheel and were drawn out alternately that is, first u number, then a prize, until all prizes were drawn. The prizes were payable 40 days after the event and were subject to a 15 per cent dis¬ count for the lM>nefit of the .sponsor¬ ing “ cause." The morality of lotteries was not questioned for a long time, in so far as the General Assembly was con¬ cerned. Then in 1826-27 the moral side of the matter was injected after the legislature had authorized sev- eral smaller lotteries and declined authority for Richmond Academy to raise $10,000 l»y this method. Do- fenders of the lottery pleaded that they “aided good causes, and kept money at home; and that they should he considered in the same light as in¬ surance risks." Opponents hold the ground that they were mere gambling devices cloaked under worthy causes. After heated debate the bill author¬ izing the lottery was read a second time, but failed to got the necessary majority of votes. A Political Issue The fireworks having been touched otT, lotteries became an important po litical issue of the day and were dis¬ cussed with ever increasing fre quenev in the legislative halls and on the campaign stump. Fuel teas added the flame when in 1831 a desperate effort, was made to get authority (■> (СопНним1 o)i pug»1 Ihirlt'cii)