Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-09-04
MARRIAGE IN CHILLI.
Serious Obstr uction Placed in the Way of
Lovers by the cl,urch-The Liberals
Would Enforce the Civil Marriage Act.

Serious Obstr uctiOn Placed in the Way of
Lovers by the Church-The Liberals
g Would Enforce the Civil Marriage Act.
1t formerly cost $25 to be married by the
church and a large. part OF it's revenues
came from that source, says the Santiago
correspondent OF the Chicago Tribune!s The
poems, who scarcely ever are able to ac-
cumulate SO much money, therefore lived
in state OF concubinage, and more than
half. the children born in Chill were ille-
Ultimate. Now marriage certificate can be
secured from O. civil magistrate for 25
cents, and persons cohabiting without it
are subject to fine and impris onment. The
archbishop has issued a decree excommu-
ilicating from the church all persons who
are married by the civil rite, and the Cath
oics OF the country, comprising 80 per
cent. Of the population, are in serious d.
lemma. They are compelled to choose be-
tween excommunication.. and 'imprison-
ment, therefore, in the upper classes,
weddings are no longer fashiona BILE
Solue people go first to the church
and then to the magistrate, and run the
risk of accommodation, but the more
conscientious prefer to remain single.
Just now in Santiago there's a youngman
of brilliant attainments, a member OF con-
gress, and q leader of the Liberal party, who
wants to marry the daughter OF a promi-
nent merchant. The engagement has been
existing for several years, and both parties
are willing to fulfill it according to a civil
law, but the girls mother ia a devout Ca tn
Ole, and cannot be convinced that wedding
without the blessing of priest is matri-
mony: The young man will go to the church
as well as to the MAGISTRATE, but the arch
bishop has forbidden any priest to marry
him without q full retraction by him OF his
political record. This he refuses to make,
and the couple are preparing to so to the
United States or some European country
to have the ceremony performed. :.
A few weeks ago there WAS IL marriage in
high life in one Of the south provinces Of
Chill, which attracted wide attention from
the church in that part of the country
The Sunday following the parties We're de-
nounced from the pulpit OF the cathedral
by the bishop, and the Catholic newspaper
publised souie very brutal comments to
the effect that the young couple had placed
themselves on the level OF beasts by CO.
habiting without the blessing Of the church.
The brides brother hammered the editor
SO that he will be q cripple for life, and
would have given the bishop a similar
chastisement had not the latter kept out
OF the way.
At the next presidential election, which
occurs next spring, the issue will be the en-
forcen,cnt of the civil marriage law, and
if the Liberal party is successful, as it I'M
douhtedly will be, some measures will be
taken to reduce the church to subsection,
and a law has already been proposed t O ex-
pei from the country priests who intimi-
date citizens from obeyins the civil mar
riage act. This will be open war and priests
who threaten to excommunicate will be
sent to exile, where they will shortly be fol-
lowed by the monks and nuns, and gem
be the next step. 1t is estimated that one
third OF the entire property in Chill is
owned by the church.