Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-08-08


phia Times, reporting on the marriage in
London, lsst Thursday, OF George p.
Andrews, Justice of the supreme court OF
New York, and Mrs. Catharine M. Van
Auken, daughter of the late Commodore
Garrison and petitioner In divorce suit
before the last Delaware Legislature.
devotes considerable space to somewhat
sensational story of how that divorce was
obtained. Among other things this COR
respondent asserts that ''Mrs. Van
Auksn did not appear before the oom-
mittee on divorce until late in April,
near the close of the session." that
''every precaution for secrecy was taken
by the parties" that 'the attorney called
on all the newspaper men, and OF his re-
quest, no mention was made of the case"
and that after some hesitation the
divorce passed the committee and
was rushed through both houses
OF the Legislature as quickly
as possible" II the rest OF the Times
story is no more reliable than thiE, il GER
tain!y is not worth the space it takes up.
In the first place, Mrs. Van Auken ap-
psared before the divorce committee in
Maroh instead of April. Notice of her
application was given in the House, by
Representative Gray, on February 26th;
the bill divorciug OAtharine M. from
Barrett H. Van Auken was introduced In
the House by Mr. Gray on March 18th ;
was given second reading by title
and referred to the committee on March
18th, and passed the House on March
2sth. II was sent to the Senate, given a
frst and second reading on March 2sth
and 29th, and passed that body April LIST,
as will be found duly set forth in the leg
islative proceedings reported for Every
EVENING Of those dates, and we presume
in the other Wilmington dailies. So much
for the allegations that the case was
rushed through secretly and no mention
made OF it in the Wilmington papers. It
received precisely the same notice that
other divorce cases did, and II is due to
legislative oorrespon tents OF Wilmington
newspapers in general to say that they
do mot suppress mention OF legislation
on any measure, aud to Colonel E. L.
Cooper, whose name Is given by the
Tines ss Mrs. Van Auken's counsel, to
say that he knows this too we'll to have
made any request for such suppression.
| 49,
The discussion of the alleged irregu-
larity Of the bonds authorized by the
last Legislature to be issued for the pur,
chase of the State Insane Asylum the
purpors OF which IL given in to.dsy't
local columns-resulEed in an agreement
somewhat on the mutual compromise
order; the county to tentatively accept the
bonds, the State treasurer to guarantee
the payment Of interest thereon until tbs
meeting of the next General Assembly
and that body to be depended on to cor
rect, by supplementary legislation, any
existing informally in the title of tn
bonds. This does not appear to us t,
have been much more than make shift
settlement of the difficulty; particularl.
IL the next Legislature should prov
anything like the last. In tina
event no human foresight coul
venture to predict what suol
a body will do in the premises, 0
: whether anybody will bs able to under
stand such supplementary legislation 9
it may enact. A mora business lik
method would be, in the present uncer
tsinty as to the legal value of the bond!
9 10 bring the matter before the courts, b
! case stated, for an authoritative detel
9 mination of the validity of the act undo
: which they were issued. Then the que
? tions at issue, technical or otherwise
= would be definitely settled, and the wa
/ would be clear. 1t ought NOT to be diff
e cult for counsel to agree upon such
e statement as would bring the cas-
d squareiy and fully before the courts 4
@ adjudication.
10 -S-z-e