Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-03-11
Discussion on the Marriage Record
Business in the Michigan Legislature.

because it is desirable that q record
of marriages should be made. Under
our present laws such records are not
kept. There is a penalty, to be sure,
but it does not frighten lazy or indif-
ferent officials. No, sir. the present
law is nullified every day. Probably
not one.third Of the marriages per-
formed by justices of the peace are
returned to the county clerk for regis
tration as the law requires. Probably
not one-seventh of the marriages per-
formed by careless and unconscien-
tious ministers are ever brought up
for record. These devious, unfaithful
officials do not mean to violate the
law. They only put off reporting
the record, Incidence prevails over
them, they forget what they have
done and the record is never made.
IF marriage licenses are required to
establish connubial union the appli-
cation and the license is of itself a
record. 1t stands in all its distinct
ness upon the books of the county
clerk. The parents of the bride and
groom may be dead, the Intellectual
and perfunctory justice of the peace
who YIELDS hearts in matrimonial hap
piness may be dead, the minister who
gave his sanction to the sacrament of
marriage and then forgets TO make
the proper returns, may be dead the
uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbors-and
all the witnesses to the ceremony may
be dead-but the imperishable license
stands on the record it is the record
and establishes the facts of the union.
The necessity of applying for a license
by bold and timid bridegroom i'm
pressed him with the solemnity of the
undertaking he was about. 1t in
creased the sanctity of the relation to
60 through the ceremony, and he (the
speaker contended for ceremony, he
favored ceremony, he approved of
ceremony, he desired ceremony. Cere-
mony was necessary rigmarole,
which added to the sanctity of the
relation. Rigmarole, Of course, was
not the appropriate word, but it de-
scribed ceremony in way ineligible
to the comprehension of the House.
He did not wish to throw any OBJ
stacles in the way of the marriage of
any young man or young woman, or
any man or woman, young or old, and
qualified for wedlock. His hair dep
Hated on the top of his head and
growing gray, did not imply austerity
in respect to the happiness of the peo-
pie. He wished everybody to get
married if they wanted to and would
comply with the law. If there were
within the State of Michigan any
young man lacking the grit to show
himself before a stern county clerk
and ask for license, and pay his fifty
cents therefor, walking, if necessary,
100 miles"
Mr.. Wright, (interrupting)-"The
fee is only twenty-five cents"
Mr.. McNabb (continuing)-"Twen-
ty-five cents No more than that ?
Then / will amend the bill and make
it dollar" Renewed laughter, the
effect of which was to prevent Mr..
McNabb from finishing the sentence
he was bringing to close when inter-
rupted.]
He went on to say: "The more
ceremony that could be thrown
around wedlock the better for the ele-
vation of the people. The savage
tribes of the lowest degradation had
as little ceremony about marriage as
surrounded the ordinary knot-tying
operations of a justice of the peace.
The barbarous tribes improved upon
the Justices unostentatious formula
and went to the extent Of surrounding
the performance with the ceremony
of a horse race. They put the maiden
fair upon feet horse and made her
the prize of the bold rider who could
overtake and capture her. Then the
hurly burly started and the sires and
not less than the young peo-
pie found the deepest interest in the
chase, and everyone in the community
had visible record of the event-es-
pecially if the time made was good
and the bride gave some unfavored
suitor the slip by artful equestrianism.
How did this compare with what he
knew had taken place many times in
the salubrious climate of his own
much cherished Newaygo and its
neighboring counties! In pine shell
tered Businesses couples met by moon.
light alone, hurried unsuspectingly
away and were joined blindly and un.
tremendously by some scallawag JUS
tice Of the peace. IF not to Justice
they went to some minister unordain-
ed, and although the parties might be
under sixteen, they were married to
all intents and purposes. What did