Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-26
again right away. as of course they should
Only Rood Here.

IneY
do.
oni, eo$ Here.
Another quite fompeon error. both on
the part Of young fclkbS who obtain licenses
and the ministers tyhoz marry them. is that
District of colYpbia matrimonial permit
is good for marriage performed outside
numbers Of persons take the licenses which
they procure FROM me 10 places outside the
District, generally ms Maryland and vir-
ginia, and get themselves married-as they
such persons are net married at ALL You
can't go to the other end of the Long
bridge and get Yourself legally married on
a marriage license issued in the District Of
Columbia. =
The provision in the new law that for
bids the issuance OF marriage license to
aliens unless suchialieB procure from their
countries representatives in Washington
certificates setting forth the applicants
eligibility to marry has proven itself a
/ good deal of nuisance for all hands. The
reason this clause was inserted in the new
law was that there were a number of cases
wherein aliens married American women
here. and, after marrying them, deserted
them and returned to their own countries,
where they repudiated their American mar
riages upon the ground that they were not
made In compliance with the marriage
laws of their own lands: the clause was
therefore designed for the protection of
American women who married aliens. The
theory In inserting the provision that
Aliens, In order to procure marriage licenses
here, must first obtain the certificate of
eligibility from their diplomatic represen-
tatives was that such certificates would
virtually make the marriages thus entered
into as good In law In the countries from
which the aliens hailed as in the United
States. Whether this theory is sound or
not, l don't know, but on the face of 1t it
seems foolish enorgk For instance, how
n hos dor hn
tificate to know that the alien from his
country to whom he grants 1t hasn't a
bakers dozen of wives scattered all over
Europe. Asia. Africa and America? Some
of the European representatives here not
ably the German ambassador, are exceed
tngfy careful in this respect and often go
to the pains Of making careful Inquiries as
to their matrimony- hungry countrymen's
entecedents in the old country before they
will grant the certificates. but others of the
diplomats grant the certificates perfume
torily; and 1T certainly seems doubtful IL a
marriage of this sort would hold any more
water across the sea than the marriage of
an allen and an American made before the
new law went into force.
Did Not Know Her.
1.-THE swell young man who is about to
be married here sends his best man down
for the license. T want marriage IL
cense,' the best man usually says at the
start-off For yourself?' 1 ask him. Not
much! Well, I guess not! Catch mer is
what he usually replies, and 1 am partic-
uiar to cast these remarks up to the best
man when he turns up, as he very often
does about six months later, for a mar
riage license for himself. Then he looks
sheepish, grins, and wriggles out Of 1t on
the ground that he didn't know her then
at Is not common nowadays, as it used
to be, for the brfde-to-be to accompany her
young man when he comes here after the
license. Once in while, however, a lady
of great apparent mental strength, con-
siderable uncertainty as to age, and heap
of hardness of feature, drags a passive
little man in here. and Straightway be-
comes the whole thing herself in so far as
answering all questions is concerned. In
these cases 1t is the lady who digs up the
dollar for the license; and the man isn't
saying word dut1ngI all the proceedings.
Speaking of the dohar for the license. when
:! first began to issue marriage licenses
here the cost of .bne2of them was 60 %
cents. Just why T. was placed at this fig
ure / was never Sblei to find out Some
times l would giYA the applicant the ben
eft of the fractioh OF a, cent. and at others
l would take the 81 cents myself.
Curious Incidents.
"Colored men often, pome here for mar
riage licenses without knowing the names
of the girls they Wantito marry-a positive
fact. What's the, young woman's name?'
1 asked a good-natured big darkey from
Suipeper county. ~ fFSlnid, the other day.
Huh names Lily.E he said. But her sur
name-her last name?i said L. He looked
stupefied. 'Lily's ali de name I know he
said. sent HIM. away: to get hts sweet
hearts full narhesa bnt be hasn't got back
vet. Numbers of people, both black and
white don't know their own ages when
they come here FOR 1icenses, and have to
be sent away to make careful investiga-
lions on that subject.
During the past year I haze issued nu-
nferous marriage licenses to George Wash
ANS, Napoleon Bonaparte, Lafayette John
son, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamil-
ton. and several scores of the 'namesakes'
(all cc1ored of great and famous person
ages Of this and other lands.
"A very Well-knoWn young Washington
man, who was married in April, neglected
to get his license until an hour before the
ceremony-it was fancy church wedding
was to come Off. The neglect occurred to
him just before he started to dress for his
wedding. He raced down the steps OF. his
bound. and began to scorch for this Office.
A bicycle policeman got after him, and
overlook him after a race of some squares.
The young fellow explained to the bicycle
cop that he was racing for his marriage
license. but that didn't impress the
scorcher-hunter at all Then the young
fellow got mad, and gave the officer some
pretty warm talk. He was arrested for
searching and for disorderly conduct be-
at the first precinct station, came here and
got his license, went home and jumped into
his dress clothes. and appeared at the
church just in the nick of time, cool as
cucumber. He forfeited the collateral"