The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-13

In summing mp the divorce statistics for
ali the United States, the government re-
port says:
Our courts. instead Of being careless in the
matter Of granting DEGREES, weigh we'll the
Causes alleged, and do not grant DEGREES IN ess
the allegations of the libsilants are fully sus-
tained. In about 30 per cent of the cases OF
petition decree has been denied.
The judges are compelled to render their
decisions in accordance with law where
the statutes lay down a slight cause as
sufficient. Whenever that is proved to
exist, the judges must grant the divorce.
The Chicago Herald has an interesting
summary of the laws concerning divorce
in the various states, and has this to say
Of our own state:
Among the states requiring one years resi-.
dence on the part Of the plaintiff are Washing
ton, Colorado, Montana, Oregon. Illinois, Kan
sas, Missouri, Wisconsin and Rhode Island. OF
these, Washington has been regarded as the
banner state for the sensible view her courts
take OF divorce Sufficient causes are cruel treat
msut, personal indignites, hsbitusI drunken
ness. refusal to provide, one years abandonment,
ana any other cause seeming sufficient to the
court, and when the court is satisfied the parties
can no longer live together.
The necessary length Of time during
which the plaintiff must have lived in the
state in order to be able to bring an action
for divorce varies from ninety days in Da-
kota to Eve years in Massachusetts,.
A six months residence will entitle the
plaintiff to sue for divorce in Arisona,
California, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Mexico. Texas and Wyoming. A large
number of states Fl x the term at one year.
Among these are Colorado. Illinois. Kan.
sas, Missoui, Montana. Oregon, Rhode ISL
and, Washington and Wisconsin.
In Dakota the following reasons are
deemed sufficient ground for divorce:
Marital infidelity, which will secure abso-
lutte divorce in any state and territory ex-
cept South Carolina, where divorce is not
allowed for any reason; excessive cruelty,
willful desertion and neglect for one year.
and habitual intemperance.
In California absolute separation is
granted for one years willful desertion,
neglect, and for habitual intemperance.
Extreme cruelty is also a cause. The
courts of Arizona grant divorce for six
months intentional abandonment. for cruel
treatment, habitual intemperance, and
neglect on the part Of the husband to pro-
vide the necessaries of life for his wife. In
Idaho plaintiff may secure q divorce for
extreme cruelty, desertion, neglect and in-
temperance, continuing for one year. In
Nebraska the sufficient causes for judicial
separation are desertion for two years,
habitual drunkenness, extreme cruelty,
and failure to provide for wife. Nevada
sewers the marriage tie for one years de-
sertion, for gross drunkenness, II con-
tracted since marriage, for extreme cruelty,
and for years neglect on the part of the
husband to provide for his wife. New
Mexico dissolves the marriage partnership
for cruel treatment, abandonment, habit
nal drunkenness and husbands failure to
provide. The courts of Texas give .
divorce for such ill-treatment as renders
married life unbearable and for three years.
desertion. The laws of Wyoming declare
a severance Of the conjugal relation for
one years willfol desertion, for extreme
cruelty, habitual drunkenness, husbands
neglect to provide for one year and for any
treatment by the one which renders the
life of the other intolerable. Arizona,
California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico.
Texas and Wyoming never grant a limited
divorce.
Colorado and Montana both grant di.
vorces for one years drunkenness or de-
sertion and extreme cruelty. The causes
in Oregon are cruel and inhuman treat
ment, personal indignities rendering life
burden. and gross drunkenness contracted
since marriage. In Illinois it is necessary
for the plaintiff to show the existence of
extreme and repeated cruelty. two years.
desertion or habitual drunkenness for q
like period of time. The laws of Kansas
give divorce for habitual drunkenness,
one years abandonment, extreme cruelty,
fraud in the marriage contract. and gross
neglect of duty. Missouri will grant
separation for indignities rendering the
life of the other intolerable, and for one
years desertion or drunkenness. Wiscon-
sin has excellent laws, for they dissolve
the bands of matrimony not only for
years desertion or drunkenness and cruel
and inhuman treatment, but also when
the husband ana wife have lived apart
voluntarily for the space Of five years.
The statutes of Rhode Island call for five
years desertion. unless the court decides
that q shorter time will answer. Habit.
ual drunkenness, extreme cruelty and re-
fusal to provide will also annui the mar
riage contract
These statistics are among those cited
by the Chicago Herald in its interesting
history of divorce laws in the United
States. They show that the drift of pub.
lie opinion is clearly in the line Of liberal
divorce Many divorces occur in the
United States as result Of the facilities
for them furnished by the laws of nearly
all the states, but the great majority Of
them are not for ofIenses against purity.
but for neglect of the marital duties Of
support and maintenance, or some
form of mere incompa;ibility of DISPOSE
ton and temperament More than 65 per
cent. of the divorces granted are given on
the appeal of the wife, and the chief cause
is desertion. Marriage is generally entered
into in America from motives of sentiment,
and therefore offenses against marital duty
and fidelity commonly tolerated IN Europe
A.