Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-12-04
Divorce ana Separali0n.


Remdrts of NJ BuHard. N Nesr Xgre4. on
hc tiH IN rc'0'lan ~ dirorer ard separation
proudfaq fer ds~ore for c{IerV. and taI
SEPARATION fr5m ted and boord. outu tor N,
ottcr fire caHSeS of dtrarcc as aotr pro9dea
In SGfut.
Nh. SrEAAER 1t may lie expected that
shall say something ON this bill. Though
drawn by myself it Is not original with me.
as | copied it mainly from the New York
laws, and our own statutes on divorce: and
Its principles are as Old as our civilization.
The bill. it is believed. VIII stand criticism
though a lawyer, perhaps. might criticize il
or assume To do So yet there are laws now
on our statute books that might stand criti-
cism no better. TIE bill was drawn with
special reference to our statutes in the chap
ter on divorce. and from comparison of the
two. it viii he seen that the lii is adapted
as far as may be. II such statutes. Mr..
Bullard here read from the bill and from the
statutes showing such adaptation.
The laws Of marriage and divorce in many
of the states Of this Union are deplorablv
loose. and our own State is among that num-
her. There is not a married couple in Yer
mont. but that can get divorced if they wish
without any previous violation of the laws of
chastity. They can take advantage of some
ono of the minor causes and part forever
Marriage and divorce laws thus loose. need
certainly to be made more stringent
Inquiries have been made as to the moral
bearings of this bill should it become law
Such Il law would raise the standard Of mo-
rality. We lose on the score of morality
when we let down it's standard. Our laws
let it down, in that theu are let down, in
reference to divorce, to the proclivitics Of
bad men. This bill proposes to elevate the
standard Of morality and thereby promote
good morals.
Several instances of divorce have fallen
under my immediate observation. In one
case the husband filed his libel and the wife
was persuaded to make no defense. and the
success of the husband was easy. In anoth-
er, the wife filed her libel, and the husband
was induced to make no defense. and her
success was easy. In third case that will
name. the wife left her home in consequence
of some domestic uni l"a-artness. and her
husband obtained Il divorce uIl t.lc. ..rJur Of
wilful desertion and married again Mean
while the wife declared she did not leave
with the intention of deserting her husband,
but intended to return so soon as the un-
pleasant circumstances for which she left
should cease to exist In neither of these
cases was there any reflection on the chastity
OF any party, but simply some domestic in
felicity
All acknowledge that sacredness should
attach to the marriage relation. That illus
trous statesman, Edmund Burke. thus ex-
pressed himself in the British Parliment
:. Other legislatures, says he, q knowing
that marriage is the origin of all relations,
and consequently the first element of all du-
ties, have endeavored by every art to make
it sacred. The Christian religion, by CON
fining it to the pair and by rendering that re-
lation indissoluble, has, by these two things.
done more towards the peace, happiness, set
tlement, and civilization of the world, than
by any other part in the whole scheme of
Divine wisdom 1t is hoped that similar
sentiments may prevail in the General As
sembly OF Vermont, and that we may, there
fore, have that improvement in our laws
which this bill provides.
As this bill embodies the principles Of the
New York laws relative to divorce, some
may desire to be informed rs to the working
of such laws in that state. To meet such
desire, [ will read from letter received from
a worthy gentleman of New York a man of
truthfulness, and a man who knows whereof
he afirms. He says:
I" Our divorce laws work admirably after
having been tried one hundred and fifty years.
at every session of our legislature
attempts have been made to alter them and
G. p. DIsOwAY, Esa.