The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1857-01-29
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WEEKLY PIONEER AND dc NGCRAT.
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We have. On various occasions, during
former SESSIONS u our Legislative Assembly
felt eoInpeiled to call the attention Of ouI
law makers Ia the subject Of legislative d.
vorc- a. great AMI growing public wrong
and the fearful facility with which such d.
yorc'r are obtainsi. and the rapid increase
from year to year, in tho number II tho~a
who @~k this mode ii release from the obi
xAtIons of marriage. induces US again to
present thu sabject before thu members o
the H1ise and Council, ~ oIe worthy theii
sss,ssyA r..~s,.,srn.aa sgl ps.s. ~ :. s.sai
sion
Among all enlightened nations, marriage
Ia regarded ~ the most important Of the do
nestle relations. IN some, il is clothed
with sanciity, ~ among the hottest II reli
gioas sacranents Ia Others, 1t receives dig
nity, IA being the most binding AMI obliga
tory ofcivil contracts. 40 intimately, indeed
has the Influence Of this Institution been fell
upon s0c~ty throughout all ag,s. and among
all nations. that historians anil philosopher
examining into the condition Of u people
point al once Ia the laws regulating mar
rage and divorce, w. a tuucbstonc, testing
at glance. the honor Of its men. the virtue
Of its women, and the consequent grade oI
il, la:1a s'aie. Tie a.sst .at.aiactory prial
Of Roman history, notable alike for the in
volatility AMI Sscreimss Of III. family. md
for the rial greatness and glory Of the state
anil including the era Of is rise from feeble.
n~ and obscuri,y 10 its highest position Of
grandeur and power was marked by the pe-
cnliariIy of it, almost entire exemption from
the exercise vi the right Of divorce. Later
the period Of il decline and fall waS rs
strongly marked by the fearful frequency ol
divorces anil the consequent dissolutcm~s Of
iis men. III" degradation Of is women. AMI
the destruction Of the family system on
which the gre'ncS Of the empire was
founded In N"hrn tins examples arr not
wanting TO show the hancful influences which
are rsertei upon society by the system of
easy and indiscriminate divorces. The
French Revolution, which destroyed the
sacramentAl chasacter Of marriage, destroyed
also social morality and political virtue I;
until private dshauchery, and public cor.
niption, led the way to that reign Of univer.
sal anarchy, amid which this terrible drama
Of social and Political prohigacy was clo~sl
Throughout our own country. the largest
reasonable latitude prrvail- in the law rcgu-
la,ing divorce anil in soine Of the States
and Territories, 81 great are the facilities
afforded for the legal SEPARATION Of husband
AMI wife. that marriage has become on Of
the easiest 10 dissolve Of all the civil con.
tracts known Ia the law This feature Of
American JURISPRUDENCE has been the subject
Of SERIOUS rvgrrt among the ablsst and hest
of our jur,sta and phlanthropists They ~e
In this laxity Of the law gradually ls~ss,n-
ing resp~t for the institution Of marriage.
AMI continually DECREASING regard Gs the
bibitex Force of its obligations. In this TER.
ritory the law has gene utterly beyond any
limit which can h. justified by rason or
propriety, Not only can divorNs he oh
tai,rd anhr our statutes for the ordinary
and sp"cidc wasons II adultery imntrncy,
d,~stion, iuhumaa tratmeui. habitual
drunkeumss and the like, but, a. /, would
sS,N, TO bring marriage INTO utter contempt.
~ a crrvn,ony which can ir so easily made
migratory that Il Is practically useless, |, is
provssd. in an anTnJmnt ~ the dvorce
law, passed. AT the s~~ion of lsSA. that. in
aklition to the GAUSS shote invited. divorce
may he granted by the coar, when /, shall
he made fully to APPEAR that, frm any
other rs,ann az caas~ evisting the t,arts~
cannot live in ra~ AMI happiness together,
anil that their welfare r,s,air~ a S,para
',,oa" Ii y iiflicult tn w living. a. W.
now 10, unhr law which ~ its face. az
'orh ~ srater pro,~tiuu 10 the marriage
staie than the mcrc shlm anil wi; Of the
Iar,'s, Why, the fre.h system u mar
riaSrs II caSrncncr might not te tniera
ioi amongst NJ nr how, q-aking by con,
p~r,seu, such system could work upon Ms
~ popse, any grN,er measure of Disgrace,
Il IL oaly fair a. observe. however. that
lml,r oar divcor law. thu wi~r discretion
al ,eh r~,s within oat c,arts. anal which
he )n,ics sr fr~ Ia eyrcsr. RELIEVES
Ihe law. N its application. OF the ~ors, II i,s
ss,ar-s 10 far ~ the statutes
gill permit, the dignity ami sAneti,y IL ,hs
marriage r,lstoa arc et-~rv~i, the pro
~>Siings an cAr'rd IN With the pr~isson
'ni prOpr'e'y Of Judicial s,rm. anil the h,
rye invested with the s'lrsnni,y ssi sorr II
a.iSial Jalsmrat
HAT IN III. sySsrm NJ Ax.Slshw divw>s.
'Vrn thSs rss c'v-ring II srnaity anal
'rcps's'y Is torn away The prus~,i,ass
Nv rushed through With ims~vn, has,r. ard
he ca-'- are, foe p s~~'s~ part, dr,ermiu~i
n ar Tsut' .~tim'ay In nim e~~s 20;
1 ten. The asssA mes,,s ,ase,v~i are svrr
Iso~n casssir, and rAc.y n~ssc. ef the com-
aissc rssm The h'ss~ r~ly On the rpx,s
eommi''~s, Anil p~s ummArily and With
at kpowb~igc II tn fAc,s, bids ~ divocs.
'Aieh Il ever propss, should only be granted
a the hllhut information aDA in the sxvr