The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-08-06
National Control Of Divorce.

Upon this subject the Christian Union
has the following. We have reason to
think that Senator Edmunds, DR.. Woolsey
and others hold similar opinion as to
the probable effect of divorce laws made
uniform by the federal legislation. The
Christian Union says: "Some of our
contemporaries have recently renewed the
call for an amendment of the national
Constitution giving congress power to
legislate upon the subject of divorce.
Chief Justice Noah Davis of this city has
given his support to the plan in the North
american Review for July. So far as it may
be remedy for the evils of our conflicting
divorce laws, this or some amendment Sc
curing uniformity without disturbing the
present balance of power between the
states and the general government is to
be desired. But if the advocates of an
amendment hope thereby to strike at the
root of the evil of the increase of divorce,
or to reduce the number very greatly, we
think that further consideration may
moderate their expectations. Judging
by the kind of laws congress tolerates in
the District of Columbia and the terri
tories, we could not expect at present any
but pretty loose legislation at the hands
of that body. According to Mr.. Dixie,
who is by far the best authority on this
subject in the country, the evils due to our
conflicting divorce laws have probably been
greatly exaggerated. They prevail more
and are more noticed in the large cities.
But marital difficulties and easy divorces
are by no means peculiar to the cities.
Some of the worst counties, both in re.
spect of numbers and of the increase of
divorce, are those containing only rural
and village populations. And here, where
everybody knows everybody else, the
parties seeking divorce are almost always
known to be residents of the county
in all good faith. This is true of New
England and Ohio. A member of con-
gress from Illinois said, in hearing be-
fore the judiciary committee, that it was
true of his own county, in the center of
that state. If these are the facts, and
MIR. Dixie says such evidence as he can
collect points this way in most states east
of the Mississippi, those who demand an
amendment to the Constitution, and uni
form legislation under it, as the cure for
easy divorce, must find a better remedy.
Uniformity of legislation could at best
give US only law up to the average
moral sentiment of the country, and would
relax the divorce laws of South Carolina
and New York more than it would tone
up those of Connecticut and Indiana. 1t
might remedy disputed questions of legit'
imacy and inheritance; but these are the
least evils of the present low state of
moral judgment respecting the perma-
hence of the family. The first measure
to be pressed on the attention of congress
is the one which Mr.. Dixie has already
succeeded in bringing to the attention of
that body, for the collection of statistics re-
lating to marriage and divorce throughout
the country. If this bill, which has passed
the senate and been favorably reported
in the house, becomes law, we shall be
in way to study the subject to good
purpose. And it is very important that
we have this material for a correct judy
ment before we act. If, after all, it
should prove true that the evil has
fastened upon the vitals of the country,
instead of being chiefly the incident of
conflicting laws, we cannot make the dis
covery too soon, nor too quickly turn at
tention to the fact"