The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-31
II Will Go Into Effect To-
morrow.
An Opportunity to Indulge in
Kicking PrOpensitieS.
What Registrar Chaplin Thinks OF
the New Departure.

After 12 o'clock tonight the marriage
able population of Rhode leland viii be
given excellent opportunity TO whet their
kicking propensities which opportunity
will probably be frequently embraced, and
incidentally ministers will be tempted to
swear, oil on account of ihe-new marriage
law which goes into effect Feb. /, and
may be found In the General Laws OF
Rhode Island for 1896. City Registrar
Chaplin says it is the nearest marriage
law he ever heard OF. There Is great
danger OF some Of the desired ends being
defeated, because the trainers never
thought of the outcome of the so-called
improvements" Attention was called
TO the sections requiring ministers TO reg
lister at the City Hall before they can OBJ
tain q license 10 perform the marriage
ceremony.
sis that a nuisapce2' was asked.
81 didn't say SO, but most everything in
the new law is a Nuisance, 'wa The reply.
The requirements Of the contracting
parties are radically, and in some instances
lu~dicrously, changed. Each party must
make an application for a License where
heretofore but one was necessary. This
will naturally make two trips necessary,
thereby causing a delay and dissatisfRc-
tion. The fellow will come down and
get his application blank filed and sign
1t and then learn that his intended must
nlso sign one. so he takes /. away and
gets her signature and trcts back again.
Thi is is 10 declare their identity. these
blanks are filed with the registrar, who
has TO furnish a copy of each TO be taken
tn the minister, previously endorsing
each on the back. these he charges 81
n piece for, so hat where 1t only cost a
dollar for a license II will now cost two,
but it is to be supposed that any man
who is anxious TO get married will be
willing to ''ante' up two ollar He
may kick, however.
Wen, the mfuistvr hes a little endorse
ing to do on each copy before he send
II back, and bis chances for error arc
thus doubled, end il is said that he fire.
quently makes errors. After receiving the
copies back they are copied in a big book,
into which the original, have already
been copied, and are then forwarded by
the city or town official to the Secretary
Of States Office, where they are kept on
file. Now the intention was to prevent
fraud by one person i~mpersonating an
other, but II tho originals are at the city
hall, or up at the northwest corner of
the State, ana the copies with the min
ister's endorsement are at the state
House, how is comparison to be made
at any time desirable, is what DR.. Chap
in would like to know. 1t Is quite i'm
portant, to his way of thinking, that the
minister's returns should be filed with
the registrar. The thing became so com
plicated the more he thought of it that
he spent a couple OF hours in the city
SOLICITORS Office to get a legal interpreta-
tion and is now satisfied that 1t will
cause untold dissatisfaction aud incon-
venience.
While admitting that the old style
might possibly be improved upon, DIR.
Chaplin says 1t could be lone much more
simply than has been lone. The old way
has worked pretty satisfactorily. SO far as
known. But one case Is recalled where a
person in~personated another, and even
that IL I'm doubt.
The city registrar has always kept the
returns carefully filed. They will be
made in the same .old way, too, t~he.cler-
gymen waiting until a batch ~accumulates,
then sign and forward them all at once.
The new law will make necessary seven
copies and two endorsements every time a
copple want To oet sshitched.p
In 13 states in the Union the fee for a
marriage license is ~ to 81. 90; in three
states, 90.