Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-10-23
MARRIAGE MADE EASY
No License from the Court Required
Until October 1, 1895.


From the Philadelphia Record.
Applicants for marriage license will be
surprised to learn that no marriage IL
cense law is now in effect in this state,
that none has been since May l of this
year, and none will be until October l.,
1895. Such is the fact, however, accord
ing to the laws of 1898, as published Off
cially by the state printer, and no more
need loving young couples sail to the
wilds of New Jersey to escape the some
times irksome law.
The trouble is all due to the last legis-
lature, which, in amending the old law
so as to permit the license to be obtained
not only in the county in which the
ceremony is to be performed, but also in
that in which either one of the contract
ing parties resides, so changed the en-
acting clause that the law will not 90
into effect until October /, 1895.
The amending act, which was approx
ed on May l, of this year, provides that
so much of section | of the act entitled
"An act relating to marriage licenses,
providing for officers herein indicated
to issue licenses for parties to marry"
approved June %, 1885, which reads as
follows: THAT from and after the first
day of October, Ammo Domini, one
thousand, eight hundred and eighty
five, no person, within this common
wealth, shall be joined in marriage until
license shall have been obtained for
that purpose from the clerk of the
orphans court, in the county where the
marriage is performed" be and the
same is hereby amended to read as
follows:
Section l. That from and after the
first day of October, Ammo Domini, one
thousand, eight hundred and ninety
five, no person within this common
wealth shall be joined in marriage until
alicense shall have been obtained for
that purpose from the clerk of the
orphans court in the county wherein
either of the contracting parties resides,
or in the county where the marriage is
performed, etc."
Lawyer f. B. Vogel discovered the
discrepancy in dates while looking over
an official copy of the laws of 1898,
which had just been issued by State
Printer Meyers. The act was subse-
quently submitted to one of the leading
members of the bar, who after studying
it carefully, remarked: According to
this, there will be no marriage license
law in operation until October l, 1895,
and the people can again get married
without let or hindrance. There is only
one matter of doubt, however. This
date in the printed copy may be
typographical error. Whether the law
holds or not will depend upon whether
this is correct copy of the official act as
on file in the office of the secretary of
the commonwealth at Harrisburg. If
that gives the date as 1895, there is no
marriage license law at this time"
In speaking of the probability of a
misprint of the date, the well-known
attorney, John S. Johnson, said that the
pamphlet laws are carefully printed, but
even if it had been intended for October
l, 1898, it would have left the common
wealth without marriage license law
for five months, the new law taking the
old laws place the moment the governor
signed it, which was May l.
Attorney General Hensel was seen at
Lancaster in relation to the matter, and
said the old law was still in force, and
that the change did not repeal, but only
amended, the former act.
Should it prove that the amendment
is correctly printed, and be decided that
the law was vitiated until October l,
1895, there would be no necessity for
marriage license clerk until that time
as should any one want an official GER
tlficate of marriage he could just as easi-
ly obtain it from the recorder of deeds.
In the meantime it is suggested that
until the matter is officially determined
there will be no harm in taking out
licenses as usual, and thus be on the
safe side.