Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-24
THE FAMILY.
Divorce the Monster Evil-Investigation
by Congress.


interest is being manifested in the articles
| They Will appear each Monday till tht
| close of the series.
1t is hardly risking too much to say thai
| all students of social problems regard the
almost unrestricted liberty of divorce and
the rapid increase of the evil that now OBJ
tainS in the United States as the greatest
| menace to the peace, purity and perpetuIty
of the family of our Christian civilization,
and in consequence to all other customs and
systems of social life. Thoughtful men of
all creeds and names have been alarmed for
some time at the manifest and growing dis
regard for the sacredness of the family.
The Independent of January 2, 1890, says
1.-THE marriage and divorce question in the
United States is increasingly and deservedly
attracting public attention. 1t is difficult to
estimate the stupendous magnitude of such
an evil in human society. The mere state
ment of the facts in cold figures shows that
some remedy is needed to lessen the evil.
1t is no wonder that the system works badly
when we look at the legislation on the sub
ject. How shall the evil be corrected So
far as law is concerned, it must be done by
a radical change in state laws or by what is
far better, authorizing congress to estab-
lsh marriage and divorce system for the
whole country. So far as public sentiment
is concerned. it must be done by agitating
the question until public sentiment will i'm
peratively demand a change. The present
is the period of agitation and the more of it
the better. There cannot be too much of it.
The Christian ministry ought to speak out
in thunder tones.
This is a fair sample of the way our lead
ing statesmen and reformerS have been
viewing this question for five or ten years
past. They have had. however, no basis of
actual facts and statistics upon which to
proceed, either in justifying or dlspelling
tbk.r,. fh.a,.. ri
been no general collection of statistics bear
ing on marriage and divorce and hence all
efforts at reform were largely so many
blows in the dark. In the midst OF this
darkness, and in An effort to find light,
there was organized in the city of Boston,
Mass, in 1881, the New England Divorce
Reform League. This association became
national in its name and scope in 1855, at
which time it was Incorporated under the
laws of Connecticut. During January and
February, 1884. many strong petitions were
sent to congress asking that steps be taken
by that body looking to the collection of
facts and statistics concerning marriage and
divorce. These petitions We're signed by
leading men in all parts of the country
clergymen, governors, justices of the su-
preme courts, presidents of colleges,
bishops of the church, and in fact by the
best brain and character of the land. AS
showing the Importance in the minds of
these men of this whole question, it will
not be improper to introduce here the form
of the petition. 1t was rs follows:
1.-THE memorial of the undersigned citi-
zens of the United States respectfully
shows:
That the wide difference between the
laws of the several states az to the causes
of divorce and the jurisdiction of their
courts over suits for divorce by or against
non-reSidentS, constitute an acknowledged
element of confusion and uncertainty in
American Jurisprudence.
That these differences have led to many
and distressing conflicts of judicial decision
in cases turning upon the degree of faith
and credit to be gi ven to DEGREES of divorce
under the constitution and laws of the
United States, or the comfy of nations, so
that a marriage is often treated at the same
time in one state as dissolved, and in an
other state or country as subsisting, and n
man may be convicted of bigamy or adultery
in one jurisdiction upon what would be a
lawful second marriage in another.
THAT the ever growing number of foreign
who become American citizens
and thus subject marriages contracted
abroad to the jurisdiction of our courts of
divorce, or by a temporary return to their
original domicile may submit American di-
vorces to the test of examinations by
foreign tribunals, make these matters not
frequent cause of collision in the admins
tration of private international law.
"That the magnitude of these evils. their
bearing upon our general social conditions,
and the best methods of guarding against
their increase, can be fully apprehended
only by careful collection and comparison
of the facts and statistics of divorce.
"hnd that no attempt to obtain such sta
tistics can hope for any considerable sue
cess. unless it is made by the authority of
the United States.
Your memoriallsts therefore pray that
such a law may be passed as will provide
for thorough inquiry into the various
matters above referred to. and the collec-
ton of statistics of divorce from the re-
cords and authorities of the several states
as basis for future legislation
These petitions, signed by men of so
much weight, attracted the attention of
senator's and representatives, and on March
5, 1884, Senator Garland, from Arkansas,
reported bill providing for the collection
Of facts and statistics relating to marriage
and divorce. 1t WIS not, however, till
March 3, 1887, that the bill finally passed
both houses and became law. The carry
ing out of the provisions of this bill was
placed in the hands of the commissioner of
labor, Hon. Carroll d. Wright. He called
to his assistance, by way of suggesting the
proper line of inquiry, the Rev. S. w.
Dixie, LII. D., secretary of the National
ilVorCe reform league. Inc line OF H.
vestigation adopted was as thorough and |
as the nature of the case
would admit. The task before the commits |
;ioner was an herculean one, but right |
has he performed it. The aues- |
ions determined on, and on which the facts |
collected are based, related to the state and |
county in which the divorce was granted; |
he state or country in which the divorced |
PARTIES were married; the date of marri age |
Ind the date of divorce; the cause for which |
livorce, whether absolute or limited; the |
number of children born under the union: |
md the ibellant (petitioner). whether hus- |
,and or wife.
To collect all these facts required much |
ime, expense and patience. There are near
Y 200 counties in the United States, and |
bout 1924 courts that have jurisdiction in |
.ivorce cases. OF all these inquiries must |
Ne made, and in the majority of them there
must be personal investigation by an agent |
f the commissioner. But the work has
'een well done, and the result is volume \
t nearly 110O pages, giving all the facts
S to divorce laws in every state IN the
Jnion, and giving all the statistics relating
o divorce in all but l6O counties of the
Thole 200 in the United States The |
ecords in these 100 counties had been de-
troyed by fire, so that the facts for only
ortion of the years could be secured. The
eriod for which Investigation was made
Tas the twenty years from 1867 to 1856.
In addition TO the collection of facts for
be United States. there is An appendix of
early 100 pages giving similar statistics
Dr. most of the countries of Europe for the
anne period. This is very valuable, and
IL, I