Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-13
UNIFORM MARRIAGE LAWS.
Action by the Bar Association Favoring
Their Adoption Everywhere.

Their Adoption Everywhere.
New York Herald
The action taken by the American Bar As
sociation to secure uniform legislation in
the several States is timely move in an i'm
portant direction. There are many sub
jects on which such uniformity is highly
Observation-Disclosures commercial paper,
wills, etc.-but none of more pressing i'm
portance or closer concern to the people
than marriage and divorce. One law of
marriage and divorce for one people would
seem to be rs much a matter of course as a
uniform system of currency. Yet the Amer
lean people are subject in their domestic re-
lations to 40-Odd codes of law-an
anomaly not found in any other civilized
country in the world. If these VARIOUS
statutes we're uniform OF nearly so it would
make little difference how many there were.
But, asa matter of fact, they are far from
being uniform. On the contrary, scarcely
two of them are alike, and many of them
present conflicts that give rise to grave
evils. Cases are constantly arising in which
only the courts can determine whether
woman is a wife or mistress, a widow or
false claimant: whether children are legiti-
mate or otherwise, whether certain persons
are heirs entitled to inherit or not This
doubt arises from the uncertainty of the
law as to what constitutes a valid marriage.
In one State formal ceremony is required;
in another n mere verbal agreement of the
parties is sufficient. Still greater evils are
presented by the variety of statutes relating
to divorce. In some States the divorce laws
are so rigid that 1t is difficult to sever the
marriage tie. In others the marital obliga
tion is as easily thrown Off rs taken on. In
New FORK there is but one ground of divorce
Elsewhere dozen may be found, including
the most trivial things. In one State the ap-
plicant must show years residence: In
another six oreven three months will do
Here divorced defendants are forbidden,
there they are free to marry again. Whether
severance of the marriage relation should
be made difficult or easy is a point on which
opinion differs and will differ. But there
can be no question that there should be one
rule for all-that the law of divorce should
be the same in every State of the
Union. 1t should be no easier to
get q divorce in Dakota than in New
York and no harder to get one in Pennsyl-
the well-known evils which spring from this
diversity of marital statutes is national
law of marriage and divorce. But that law
can come only from Congress when it has
been empowered to legislate on the subject
by constitutional amendment. The adop-
t1on of such an amendment is out of the
question in the near future. The only re-
manning course is uniform legislation in the
several States. To bring about this legisla-
tion is the task undertaken by the American
Bar Association. 1t is not O new idea.
Movements having the same end in view
all great reforms the progress of this one
must be slow. But the cause Is steadily
gaining in strength and popularity. Never
has there been greater reason for its sue
cess, now that the courts of one State are
beginning to question the validity of di-
vorces granted in another to persons who
have gone there for no other purpc Sc than
to get divorce.