Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-06
CAPITOL TOPICS.
MARRIAGE ASp DIVORCE

The majority of the House judiciary COM
mittee have made report adverse to the prop
osition to amend the Constitution so as to pro-
vide uniform laws governing marriage and di
vorce.
This report, says the committee, is unable to
sec the necessity for amending the Constitution
as proposed. The jurisdiction of Congress is
already so extended that if the two houses were
to sit In continuous session it would be quite
impossible to pass upon all the bills which are
now presented. There would be more wisdom
In an amendment to the Constitution RENTING
to the states some of the powers exercised by
Congress rather than enlarge them. II this
amendment was adopted it would open up an
other large and fruitful field of lcgislation and
once Congress came to exert the right to regu-
late marriage and divorce it would, Judging BY
past experience, soon extend the power by con-
struction to the regulation of inhcritances aud
descent of property. In other words. it would
soon undertake to legislate upon the main body
of domestic and local interests of the people
which have always belonged to and have been
exercised by the states.
The minority report is signed By six men,
bers of the committee. 1t says that when the
Constitution was adopted it WAS not contem-
plated that such diversity Of statutes on the
subjects OF marriage and divorce as are now
found would exist in the various states. Under
the laws OF the various states. the report says,
1T Is possible for one man to have as many law
ful wives as there are states in the Union, as
Stunning that the statutes in each case differ
In the several states the Law differs as to the
causes or grounds Of divorce, and the result is
that we have a constant tide OF emigration
from one state to another to evade the obliga-
ton OF the marriage relation.
TO CLEAN THE PICTURES.
Senator Quay, from the committee on the
library, has reported an amendment to the sun
dry civil bill providing for an appropriation of
$1,000 to be applied to the preservation, re-
pair, cleaning and vanishing pictures and
frames within the Capitol building.
THE RAILROADS PROTEST.
Counsel for the Northwestern Railroad Com
pany has submitted to the House committee
on post offices protest against the proposed
reduction from so to &c per cent Of the regular
rate OF the allowance to Immigrant railroads for
many OF tho land grant railroads were built in
advance of traffic needs for the purpose of de-
velopng the country in which the land grants
lay. 1t says further that the land grant
roads are not in better position
than non-aided roads to stand a reduction in
the rate for carrying the mails, for the reason
that it frequently took all that was received
from the land grants to make up the deficit in
the running expenses Of the roads.
PAY EQUIVALENT TO RANK.
1t has been suggested to Congress for many
years that the commodores Of the navy while
acting as rear admirals should have the Day Of
the latter grade, and especially has this plea
been made for commodores while in command
Of squadrors. on the ground that they are often
put to unusual expense in enter tanning guests
aboard ship, and as no allowance 10 made by
the Navy Department for this purpose unlike
foreign nxvies) it should be made up to them
by an increase of salary.
Today Senator Butler reported favorably
from the naval affairs committe q bill having
Ia n 81 a. l.
pay to all commodorss who have held the rels-
tive rank since 1884