The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-08
Discussion of the Deserted Wife
Question to Close.
All Light That Could Be
Thrown On It,
Furnished by People Who Have n
terestsd Themselves IN Such Mat
ter s. Capt Joe Waters and
Others Talk on the Subject

courts, regard the situation in Topeka
as peculiar to Topeka alone Every
town as big as Topeka from the Allan
tic to the Pacific has practically the
same proportion OF deserted wives
There is no particular call for aston
lshment on the part of the eastern
press because Topeka is Investigating
q social problem that extends from one
corner Of the country to the other 1t
reminds one of the fable of the spider
that called all the other spiders except
one behind a log and whispered-p0int-
ms 70 the neglected spider. Say, do
you know that spider actually makes a
living catching dies2" Men run off
from their wives in Topeka. of course,
ana they run off from their wives
everywhere else, several hundred
thousand Of them What The Jour
nal has endeavOred to discover has
been, why they do it, All people who
have considered the question have been
asked All views have been secured.
There is probably a little clearer I'M
derstanding Of the matter than there
was before. Today The Journal pre-
SCENTS its last interviews and informa-
ton on the subject.
1t had to come sooner or later and
Captain Joe Waters has at last ex-
pressed himself on the deserted wives
question.
A Journal reporter happened into his
Office today
Interview me- said Mr. Waters. Il
haven't been interviewed on anything
for three days and I'm getting restive-''
How about the deserted wives ques-
tion2'' suggested the reporter.
All right" said Mr.. Waters, after a. ]
moments thought. as he absently tore
another chew of a 81 bill. get out
your pencil
"Desertion is brevet divorce. 1t
may originate from cold feet. asthma,
lung trouble, fashion. society, hard
times or another woman, but the
greater per capita in it is pure cussed- I
ness in the husband. Cheap divorces !
n which all ind11lgra have
robbed the marriage relation of all its
sanctty and a case of eczema or tet- /
ter is harder to get rid Of and fingers !
longer than a discontinued marriage
South Carolina is where they think a
good deal of marriage and but little of
divorce That state has but few mari /
tai troubles The people there have /
never made divorce a state industry |
I have known q divorce granted in this /
town where the papers in the case, |
when first filed, contained the decree !
I viii not state who was judge I will /
say for my own protection it was not |
Hazen There is but little use for a /
man to desert. 1T is a cheaper thing /
to get a divorce than to light out for /
California.
There il another thing I want to
say, and am .afeerd' to say it. There I
have sprung UP these later years many I
new-fangled sorts of religion, that (
somewhere in their adjustable creeds is /
Just a flavor of spiritual affinity or free 1
love, which is a great helper to es- /
arrangement
Hell fire and its fear is the guardian /
angel of the family relation. man /
is not hurt by the wholesome fear OF
future birthstone.
If we had good, rouslng protect
i've tariff, protecting all kinds OF IN /
FAINT American industries, and every !
body had work, and every body had /
cheaper money to buy things with the T
extent of desertion would be lessened- I
There are cases when the man gets /
tired of hunting for work Ihere are /
eases when the woman gets fatIgued /
i'm taking in washing Temper is not /
at its best when the stomach is empty, /
the rent unpaid and a notice to quit |
has been served. / lay no blame on I
the woman. I know the man too Well 4
for that"
OTrGHT TO BE STOPPED BY Law. /
She was a most sincere old lady with /
a highly pitched voice. and the sins ana /
shortcomings of the world rested heaNl-
~ 777,oo her The deserted wife question I
as set forth by various theorists aho /
actual cases in the State Journal, haQ /
stirred her greatly
A State Journal reporter was hurry /
ing down Kansas avenue when she I
stopped him suddenly to do a little the I
orizing of her own
ssI've been reading the articles in your /
paper on this question" she said, and I
i lust can't help saying something
don't care whether you print it or not I
When I hear about these poor deserted /
wives and their Door worse than faith /
erIess children, it just makes me mad, /
and / feel like going right away to the I
CITY council or police commissioners ana
getting some legislation passed TO stop
these marriages i'm the lower classes (
People do marry with so little thought I
why just last week know Of a case
i'll which bright young girl Of lt mar
ried an old man of 81 he idea or any
girl marrying a man three times her
age and it just makes me turn cold to
think of the time when she viii be a
Young woman of 30-in her prime-and
viii have for a husband a shriveled up
old man Of 80.
And that amt all. either He's an old
soldier and lost one arm in the war and
it just makes my blood boil to think
that such a marriage is permitted in a
civilized country, and to think of the
lime when there viii be half a dozen or
perhaps more little helpless one armed
children growing up for the county to
support 1t ought to be stopped by law,
I say
MRS. GOODWIN'S VIEWS.
One of the many women in Topeka
interested in charitable and social puri-
tv work is Mrs. NJ. z. Goodwin of East