Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-02-21
Divorce Reform.

u bEFOkE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF TIN
HoUsE-A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT WANTED.
A subcommittee OF the House committee on the
Judiciary, consisting OF MeSSrS Poland and MOul-
ton, met IN the red parlor Of the Ebbtt House last
night and heard an argument by Mr.. S. w. Dixie, OF
Vermont, secretary OF the New England Divorce
Reform League, in favor OF legislation to secure
uniform divorce laws IN the United States He pre-
sented a memorial from the league and said that
the wide difference between the laws governing
this subject in the various states caused great
fusion and uncertainty In American Jurisprudence.
Marriages, he said, which were legal in one state
were not so In Others, and man might be legally
divorced 1 nom one we ana married to another IN
b1gamy in another. He referred to several cases
OF this nature, and said that men and women
state where they could not be easily had to another
where they were more accessible In this way, he
said, divorces were very frequent when there was
present loose system OF divorce was calculated to
increase immortality and break up homes The
the uncertainty OF our law. He said, however, and
the committee, from their experience, agreed with
hm, that the foreigners in this country did not
apply for divorces nearly frequently as did the
natives
Judge Poland said that in all his experience he
had never known an Irish woman to apply for a
divorce. This, he supposed, was due to the fact
that they considered marriage a sacrament.
MT Dixie said that what the divorce reformers
wanted was for Congress to Investigate the NATTER
and take steps towards securing constitutional
amendment.
OuUSc IUduu SdlQ JQlC nOUl1ng COuI0 De done eX-
cept through a constitutional amendment, and
that the committee would give this matter
side 1I Mrs Poland Mrs Rounds and number
OF other ladies', guests at the hotel, present
and ev1nced an interest In the question
Real Estate Matters.
CONGRESSMAN PHELPS INVESTMENTS
Mr. William Walter Phelps, the congressman
from New Jersey, who is large owner Of real
estate In this city, states that he has no Intention
OF building at present; that his purchases have
been investments which he considered desirable.
II he concludes to build he will select one Of the
several plots Of ground now owned by him. 1t
was runored that he intended to build an apart
ment house on the ground fronting on Dupont cir
Gle. and also that he intended to erect handsome
residence on the Bell property, recently purchased
He states that he has no Intention Of building at
present A person who has made the calculation
mas 5aa6 MI Phelps Pad 81 cents per foot for the
HoUsEBREAKERs sENTENcED-To-day, Adolphus
Burgess cOOred, convicted OF houSebreak1ng In the
night In having, on November 27th last, entered q
Jewelry store on 18th street, and stolen two rings
was brought up from jail; The motion for a new
the court, and he was sentenced to six months in
JAIL The evidence showed that he walked into the
store and took the rings from tray and the court
said that as no violence was used he would make a
sentence analogous to what he would give for larce-
ny"Isaiah johnson, colored, convicted OF house.
breaking In the night, was sentenced to three
years IN the Albany penitentiary.
NJ LAST NIGHl-lue TeSluenC6 OF MT. d.
N. Hail. sos 1st street northwest the scene last
evening Of the marriage OF hts youngest daughter,
Lizzie, to MIR. Starr X. Wood. OF Albany, n l., in
the presence OF only the intimate friends OF the
family. Rev. DR.. Little officated. Miss Florence,
sister Of the bride, acted as bridesmaid. and Mr..
Henry kingsbury, OF Albany, n. Y, as best man.
The presents were numerous and costly, among
them being check for $4,000 from the parents Of
the groom, and knabe square grand piano from
the brides father The happy pair left the Ills
p m. train, and, after short bridal tour, will re-
side In Albany, N. Y, where the groom is engaged
in business.
A RIFLE MATCH.-A number of young gentlemen
interested In rifle shooting had shortrange match
this morning the Virginia side OF the river near
the Long bridge, for which handsome badges were
offered as prizes. The distance was nifty yards
The scores were as follows Samuel II. jacobson,
SO; NJ. Ambrose 80; William G. Mattingly, e: Law
renee Hollis, 20; Ernest E. Evans %; Joshua J..
Berry, %. Handicap-Jacobson, 80; Mattingly t2>,
~: Ambrose, 30; Evans ~, %; Berry a. 81 Hollis
a., q. Mi. jacobson, 1t will be SEEM won both the
first prize and the handicap prize The second
prize was Won by Mr.. Ambrose
THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SoC1E-
TY.-At the meeting Of the Montgomery County
Agricultural Society in Rockville, Md. yesterday
the following officers were elected for the ensuing
year: President, Roger b. Faruuhar: vice presi0
dents, II. B. MObley, Col. James A. Bowed, Americas
Dawson, Capt. John Mcdonald, DR.. Frank Thomas
and F. NJ. Draney, OF WaShingtOn; secretary, A. W.
Fletcher; treasurer, T. ID. Laird; executive commit
tee, VIM. E. Manakee, Col Washington Bowie. K.
H. Miller ana n II. Baker. The treasurer's report
showed the receipts for the year TO be 49, the
expenditures S2S3S.S1, Of which $500 was on ac-
n n india fnfn