Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1885-04-30
GARD FROM LEO MILLER.

"The Union, Civil and Conjugal," Dissolved.
To the Editor Of the Inter Ocean.
DETROIT, Mich, April 22.-Beieving
that personal experience Involving the
welfare of society and rightfully the
property OF the whole species, the under
signed feels it incumbent upon himself
TO make known the conclusions of q so
cial event which has caused no little
public interest and comment.
Nine and half years ago Martha
| (Mattie) Strickland, OF st. Johns, Mich,
and myself, formed civil and cOnjugal
union without the customary sanction
OF law, and published to the world 0Ur
declaration and contract. The step was
taken with the conscientious conviction
that the proceeding was, under the cir
cumstaRces, right and justifable, and
through all these years we have
Continued to live together In the
| most endearing relations of virtual
husband and wife, Notwithstanding the
repeated assertions of the press that we
had separated. We were led to form h
unusual alliance in order to secure and
eGjoy openly what we conceived to be
our natural, connubial rights denied 8
by unjust and oppressive divorce laws.
was at the time resident of New York,
and the husband Of q woman with whom
1t was impossible for me to live in peace
and happiness. The divorce laws of that
state do not permit legal separation of
married parties for any cause other than
that of adultery, and had l such cause
of complaint would scorn TO purchase
my freedom at the expense of woman
had once taken to my bosom as wife by
Hro Uceip M har N IN nd nh
licly blasting her character beyond the !
hope Of rodemptiSn.
became acquainted with Miss Strick- |
land and a mutual affection sprung 9p |
between us. We desired to unite orr |
lives and destinies in that moss sacred |
Of all human relations, marriage. hut |
could not do so under the customary |
usages of society because OF the iron |
bands that bound me to another. After
celebrating over the matter for year
we concluded to assume the responsible
ity and the consequences, whatever they
might be, of forming all open cOnjugal
union in defiance of law.
Years Of reflection and experience haye
brought with them the conviction that
the sep we took was ill-advised an d
wreng, that it would have been wiser
and nobler to have sacrificed our own
personal happiness and what we deemed
to be our natural rights than to have
made this revolutionary assault upon
the marriage institution. Marriage is
of divine origin. an outgrOwth of the
higher moral sentiments, not the lower
prOpensities. la the early, animal life
of the race. before the moral AMI spirit
ual nature had attained any very cOnsid-
cradle degree of development, we find
that polygamy, polyandry, and general
promiscuousness characterize the re-
the evolution of the higher na-
Divine revealing the ultimate intentions
of the Creator respecting the proper So
cial relations Of man and woman. The
whole tendency OF civilization, marked
especially by the sentiments, aspirations
and lOngings Of the nOblest and purest
specimens Of the race, point conclusive
ly to the fact that monOgamy-ths union
for life of one man and one woman
constitutes the only true marriage or
dained by nature and natures God for
noble, rational beings; and it is undeni-
ably the right and duty of the earthly
legislator to transcribe this higher mar
rage law to his statute books and enjOin
its observance. Just and discriminating
provisions should bemade to release par
ties from the marriage bonds when from
any cause they defeat the ends of mar
riage and work evil rather than good,
misery rather than happiness; but to
strike down all law would lead to uni
versal social anarchy. While the race
has made great advancement from its
primitive state average human nature is
still crude and disorderly, and needs d.
rectiOn and restraint. The few might
be law unto themselves, and observe
all the requirements and proprieties of
true marriage, but the masses, left