Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-03-07
REFORM IN DIVORCE

The National Council of Women Take I'm
the Subject-They Want Divorce Laws
Reformed, but, Being Equally Interested
with the Men, Desire to be Consulted as
to Proposed Legislation Upon So Vital =
Matter.
WASHINGTON, March AT TUESDAYS
| session of the National Council of
Women the report of the committee on
divorce reform was presented by it's
chairman, Mrs Ellen Battelle Dietrich,
OF Cambridge, Mass. The report says
that in order to study the steps taken
by men on the question of divorce re-
form the committee joined the Ma
tional Divorce Reform league, which is
Offered and managed wholly by men.
Continuing the report says: THE
National league has acted wisely in
not working for a constitutional
amendment to enforce one uniform
rule of divorce for the whole United
States. 1t has acted most wisely in
securing from congress provision for
the exhaustive Report on Marriage
and Divorce published by Hon. Car
roll ID. Wright, in 1889, a work
which should be studied by every
household. as it concerns every house
hold directly or Indirectly. But the
National Divorce Reform league has
acted unwisely in procuring commits
sions on uniform law in eight states,
which cover more than one-fourth the
population of the country, not a men,
Der of which commissions are feminine.
I'm view of the fact that over 60 per
cent. of the divorces in the United
States during twenty years were
granted to wives on their petition for
divorce from their husbands, and that
the great majority of these were for
desertion or cruel treatment, your COM
mittee submits that something more is
needed than to teach girls how to sew
and cook, valuable as it believes such
instructions to be. For the reasons
herein set forth, your committee begs
to report the following resolutions:
'ResOtred, By the executive board of
National Council of Women of the
United States, as divorce is a measure
equally concerning both sexes, we hold
it just that all commissions created to
deal with divorce should be represented
by both. To this end we, an organi-
cation of national organizations COM
prising about 100000 representative:
women, request of the appointing
power in each state. whether guberna-
torial or legislative, that all such COM
missions hereafter to be appointed
shall be composed of both men and
women in equal numbers.
'Resolred, That we ask the National
Divorce Reform league to take no steps
toward altering existing laws without
comforting with the National Council
of Women of the United States through
its standing committee on divorce re-
form.
'Reso{ged, That we instruct our COM
mittee on divorce reform to ask for a
hearing before the National Divorce
Reform league, at its next regular
meeting, in order to provide for CO.
operation between men and women in
regard to this matter, which equally
effects both.
.Resolred, That the first step toward
the elevation of the home is to put men
and women as home-,nakers in a posi-
ton of legal equality.
.Resolred, That a letter be sent to the
governor OF each state and territory
asking him to call the attention of the
legislature to the situation concerning
divorce laws, requiring the appoint
ment of a committee to consider the
matter. said committee to consist
equally of men and women"
The resolutions were unanimously
carried, and the report of the commit
tee accepted