Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-09-01
S QUE DIVORCE Law IN FAULT?

The narrative which we Published yes.
terday, of the manner in which a divorce
is alleged to have been procured by man
or his attorneys, in the name OF the wife,
but without her knowledge, raises a very
serious question in regard to the divorce
law of this State. For if the story as
gathered by our reporters be true, and if
the success OF the stratagem was attribu-
table in 10 way to culpable negligence on
the part of the Court which granted the
divorce, it follows that our statutes are so
defective that they may be perverted to
serve the most infamous ends. Divorce
legizlation in several States of the Union
was until quite recently so loose or ineai-
Client as to positively tempt weak men and
women to the commission Of heinous
wrongs The must cruel injuries have
thus been inflicted, and many lives have
been wrecked through the direct agency
OF the Courts. It will never do to let Cal
ifornia be placed in the category with In.
diana, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, and the other
States which in the past have practically
offered premiums for causeless divorces.
II it is possible under the existing laws
for man to procure a divorce in his wife's
name, without her knowledge, then there
is no security for women who are mar
ried to bad men, while there is a
powerful temptation to the weak and
tickle to avail themselves of this easy mode
Of separation. Facility of divorce has, we
think, been proved by experience to be
against public policy. The family is the
alpha and omega Of civilization What
ever assails its cohesion lays the AK to the
roots OF the social system. Now facility
of divorce and rec6lessness of marriage
90 together When it is understood tina.
the marriage tie can be snapped at viii,
it is fastened without reflection. And
facility Of divorce saps public morals. The
woman especially, who mas been divorced
more than once, loses her purity and mod
esty. a kind of restricted concubinage
is substituted for the stable and healthy
marriage relation. A wide field is laid
open to rogues and Adventures, and they
are encouraged and assisted to prey upon
the helpless and transporting. Facility
of divorce in short is a kindness only to
the worst elements of the community.
There is no such salutary check upon
imprudent marriages as the realization OF
their permanence. If therefore The State
laws really admit Of such proceedings az
are alleged to have been had in the case
which we gave the history of yesterday, it
must be seen to that these laws are amend.
ed al the next session of the Legislature.
TIE TORPEDO ACCIDENT AT NEWPORT
Two naval officers were blown to pieces
the other day at Newport while putting
down torpedo in the harbor. This cad
accident is very suggestive. Torpedo war
fare has not yet been at all fully tested.
In the rebellion the Southern ports and
rivers were defended by stationary torpe-
does, but since then the torpedo has under
gone many changes, and now it is proposed
to employ it as an aggressive agent. The
Whitehead torpedo, which is discharged
from tube under water, has been tried
but once in actual warfare. That was in
the engagement between the Shah and the
Huascar, and no practical results were
then obtained But it is evident that
there must always b. great danger in the
handling of these high explosives by those
who are using them, and in the haste and
confusion of battle it seems by no means
unlikely that disasters such as this at
Newport would be multiplied.