Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-25
secret .sAdyerfisinp.,,


"a suit for divorce was entered yesterday By
OTyille ID. Thatcher. clerk In the bureau OF en-
CRAVING and printing. living at 1926 PennSyl-
yania avenue, against Adelaide II. Thatcher.
one OF the causes alleged Is known to be
assertion. but this is supposed to be only
small ana unimpOrtant parC of those bT0ught,
as the bill was hUrriedly Withdrawn as soon az
filed TO avoid its contents bring Inspected. An
order or publication WAS also obtained, allow
Ing the plaintiff 10 take decree pro ,DtltsSs0
against his alb en- wife after the publication OF
an advertisement In iis Journal published IN
this city with limited circulation exclusively
aEoEg lawyers"
What our neighbor says about the divorce
business VIII apply with equll force TO the set
tlement Of estates, sales of property, the dis
Charge OF trusts, or indeed to any matter
before our District courts In regard 10 which
the public, and particularly those In interest.
have right to prompt and fun Information,
but which evil designing persons desire to have
Kept secIet. TO compel the publication OF
public or legal notice In the periodical referred
TO may be a compliance with the word of the
law. but # is clearly gross disregard IL 1t Is
Lot IL fact a plain violation OF It's spirit. So
far as serving the purposes OF a public Motif
cation Is concerned an advertisement might as
well be locked up In the vaults OF a safe deposit
company as inserted In It's columns
Whether so intended or NOT the course pur-
sued by the District court In this matter has
precisely the effect OF preventing instead of IL
suri0g publicity TO matters affecting the III
terests OF many individuals and some times the
rights OF the whole community. A rule adopted
By Il On the 10th day OF May 1876, reads as fol
lows:
'.Rule 12I.-Herfafter all notices which relate
to proceedings IN the Supreme court OF the DIS.
;rict OF Columbia. the publication OF which Is
published In the Wds1ethq,o,s Lar ReDorter
during the time required by law. ia addition
10 0]t9 Oiher pIpT1,S 3Fi.tct DlI1 be specially
ordered, or tchicis Dtay De selected 5y tie
lGrtjeS.
Under this rule evil designing persons are. as
we have said able TO carry ont almost any pur-
pose they may desire. SO far as being able to
work IN the dark NAV aid them. But the evil
does not stop here. The rule affects unfavora-
biz persons disposed 10 give ali publicity posi-
bic 20 their proceedings Of imposing an unnee-
essary, arbitrary. and. as we believe an Illegal
expense upon them. BY requiring the pibica-
ton OF az legal notices in this obscure weekly
journal. at price greater than would te charged
for the same service by the daily papers OF the
city with from ten 70 sixty times its circulation
proper intending persons are prevented. on ac-
count OF the increased costs thus imposed from
giving that publicity TO their notices which both
their sense OF fair dealing and their own inter-
ests would prompt. Hence, as any one can see
the fayoritiSm which supports this sickly bant-
Ing fer the convenience OF a few members Of
the bar Is always an onerous tax, and often
amounts practically to denial OF justice TO one
side or the other In cases pending.
Just such publication as this, and for the
same purposes. was established and supported
In New York by the Tweed regime during its
palmiest and most cOrrupr days. and the abuses
growing out OF Its enforced support were among
the most outrageous and scandalous OF those
al Sfr,iia
upon this community should be IN any wise
encouraged by any branch OF government In
the District OF Columbia is as surprising as 1t is
CloEStToJis.