Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-03-16
D0DGING DIVORCE.
An Animated Discussion over the Amendment 10
the Divorce for Insanity Law

An Animated Discussion over the Amendment 10
the Divorce for Insanity Law.
Special to the Mil Sentinel: At 1880
o clock, this evening, the Assembly took
up its special order, Assembly bill No.
!, repeating the law making divorce
possible if either husband or wife have
been insane for period Of five years or
over. The debate proved TO be very in
teresting. Mr.. Rcwey, the Trainer of
, the bin, opened the argument against
the old law allowing divorce on such
grounds. He began by stating that
| laws were made for the weak and the
aim of every statute should be the pro-
lection of the weaker human beings.
Against this principle the law discrim-
mated and disseminated very harshly.
Mr.. Rewey stated that he had examined
, the statute books of the different states,
| and although in every state such bill
had been argued, nowhere except in
Wisconsin, had such bill passed DR.
kempster, of the Northern Hospital, had
sent him statistics disproving the fact
that insanity of longer duration than five
years is incurable. DR.. Kempster says
in his letter to Mr. Rewey: The follow
ing is carefully prepared table of those
| who recovered after having been insane
| for two years or more:
Insane for two years and recovered Is
Insane for three years and recovered u
Insane for fonI years and recovered. ........
Insane for five years and recovered -..,....... Z
Insane for six years and recovered. ..... ;
Insane for seven years and recovered .....4...
Insane for eight years and recovered ......... .
Insane for nine years and recovered, .........
Insane for ten years and recovered .......... {
Insane for eleven years and recovered .....-...
Insane for thirteen years and recOyered....,,..
Insane for fifteen years and recovered ........ ,
Insane for sixteen years and TecoverCd........ ,
Insane for nineteen years and recovered. ..... l
Insane for thirty-one years and recovered ,... /
DR.. Wiggington, of the state hospital
| for the insane, in letter to Mr.. Rewey
says: ''Many cases of insanity recover
who have been insane for longer
period than five years. In looking over
the first few pages of our discharge
book, find fifteen recoveries after the
| insanity had lasted all the way from five
| to twenty-one years. In reference to
| divorce granted under the present law,
| | will say that u number have applied
and obtained the divorce, both male and
| female The gentleman continued his
| argument and deduced statements and
figures from Dr. Pliny Earle, of North
hampton, Mass.
Mr.. Shepard also made an able plea
| against the bill, stating that the insane
| divorce law of 1881, which the pending
| bill proposes to repeal, is barbarous; in
that it abolishes the obligations of mar
riage toward anyone who is unfortunate
| enough to become insane. 1t is also a
| new and wrong departure in our divor e
laws for it introduces an entirely now
| principle. That one may be divorced
| without any moral or legal fault or Of
fence AL other grounds of divorce on
| the statutes are based on some crime or
| moral or legal fault. This, only ON ac-
count of insanity. which may be the
result of sickness, accident, ovcrwork,
sorrow or hereditary disease. The state
is not ready, Mr.. Sheppard claimed, to
sanction this principle. The opponents,
he continued stated that the bill WAS
but one year old. The law is, however,
SO utterly bad in principle. that no cX-
perience can Justify it and age should
not be allowed to confer on it pres
criptive title 10 life The debate colt
| tinued until 10 o clock tonight MLssrs
| Chamberlain, Keycs, :. w Pierce and
Stevens speaking against, and Mcssrs
| Clark, CabaniS, Winans and Bate in
favor of it. An amendment offered By
| Mr.. Reyes, making insanity for eight
wears, instead of five, cause FOR divorce
was withdrawn. The bill was finally
| passed under suspension of the rules
by vote Of sixty-seyen TO twenty-five.