New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-23
DIVORCES IN GEORGIA.
JUDGE LUMPKINS RULING LIMITING THE
NUMBER-AN EASY ROUTE
TO SEPARATION.

Atlanta Ga April ~ (SpecaD.-A few days ago
:, dge I.umpkin. of the Civil Division of the Su-
pcrior Court for Fulton County, in which Atlanta
Is situated announced that hereafter he would not
grant more than four divorces week. All divorce
suits in this county are tried in this and the
court IS In session OH an average Of twenty-five
weeks in each year Judge Lumpkin's rule would
therefore allow about one hundred DEGREES Of d.
vorce Il year. The population Of Fulton County
is about 100 900: that Of the city Of Atlanta IS about
5000. and more than nne-tenths of the divorces
granted In the county for residents OF Atlanta.
There u.s. therefore. according to Judge Lumpkin's
rule q prospect of one divorce TO each thousand OF
Atanta's population for the next year.
The divorce records of the last year or two do
not indicate that this Is an extravagant estimate
for this progressive city At that rate Chicago is
entitled TO about two thousand divorces a year.
and New-York City TO something like thirty
five hundred. The increase in the number OF d.
vorces in Georgia especially In the cities, has been
remarkable. 1t has been out Of all proportion to
the increase OF population. Twenty years ago d.
vorce suits in this State; now they have
become so common that they constitute a leading
source Of news for the press and take up large
part of the time of the State courts
! There is no longer any need for man and wife
in Georgia who desire sever their marital rcla-
lations 10 HE TO Chicago or Of the West
ern States The divorce mill In Georgia grnds
fast enough for all but the most impatient VIC
tins OF unhappy marriage. In Georgia there are
eight statutory grounds for absolute divorce;
that would seem TO cover all the Just ana
| reasonable grounds for divorce, but Immediately
after il in the code OF Georgia comes what may
be termed the omnibus divorce section 1t reads as
follows:
In case of cruel treatment or habitual intoxica-
ton BY either party. the jury In their discretion
may grant either total or paruaI diVorcc'
A strict construction of this law would not secure
divorces for one-ffth Of the parties who have been
| relieved Of their marriage ties under 1t. The dis
erection lodged in the jury is absolute and unl!m-
tied. II has been used In hundreds of cases to
| grant total divorce.
The Jury must determine what is cruel treatment
and habitual !ntoxica:on, and in doing so Georgia
! turtles have granted divorces on ridculously In
| sufficient evidence In one case husband oD-
1 tanned total divorce because his wiies cooking
Sssb s1 Oe oba a sery to again on
| deuce that his wife put kerosene IN the dough out
| other cases incompatibty Of temperament has
ocen argued into cruelty by shrewd counsel and &C
s saiiieien u to D demand total divorce
The habitual intoxication clause has been abused
II is safe to say that Section No. e427 of Geor-
| gia's code which leaves to the discretion OF the
Jury the granting of total partial divorce is re-
sponsible Tor more divorces than the preceding
| for the total separation OF man and wife.
The great majority OF divorces IN Georgia are Oh
so"s ,yLo are weIl-to-do and havo moved In re-
| sn"ctnble soclnl circles. what has caused ;his
rapid Increase Of divorces In State whero they
were remarkably infrequent IN the last generation!
Vorio,s ordinations are offered. One OF these.
and tho most plausible one. Is that The state has
made divorce easier by increasing the NUMBER OF
causes Tor which Il may be granted. and by lodg-
ing q wider discretion In the tnries who try divorce
suits It has come 10 pass In Georgia MAJ 10 ask
for divorce Is almost equivalent TO obtaining IL
Jurcs seem 10 nc. the principle that even II the
evidence is weak IL is better TO grant legal spara-
ton 10 the husbands and wives who seek IL Than 10
leave them under bonds which they desire TO throw
off