The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-20
Bl)NFACES DON I LIKE i
PRESENT NORTH DAKOTA d.
V0RCE LAW HAS CAUSED A
LOSS OF BUSINESS
LAWYERS IN THE SAME BOAT
A Movement Is Now on Foot to
Restore the Old Three
Months Residence
Statute.
LAWYERS IN THE SAME BOAT

BISMARCK, N. D., Nov. 19.-There is
a move on foot to restore the old quick
separation divorce law, which was re-
pealed In this state two years ago to the
statute books. The old law, which it is
purpoSed to attempt to put back on the
statute books, required only three months
residence to qualify a plaintiff III a d.
Vorce case to begin action. The causes
Tor divorce in North Dakota, under the
code, are manifold. Beside the cau.es
statutory in all states, there is the gen
eral cause enumerated as gTieVouS men
tai anguish and this seems to have been
the one under which most of the separa-
tons under the old law We're obtained.
GrleVous mental anguish covered a multi
tude OF sins, and it was a poor plaintiff
who could not make out a case sufficient
to procure a divorce.
Under the old three months law, thou
sands of divorces were granted in the
courts of North Dakota to persons resi-
dent in all parts of the world. A large
> element Of the population of the cities of
Bismarck, Mandan, Grand Forks and
Fargo was composed of persons who
came to the state for no other reason
than to be freed from a disagreeab!e
marital alliance. Nobility the army and
navy, the stage, the clergy and the laitv
were represented among the seekers after
OlVorce. The hotels in the larger cities
disposed of all their surplus accommoda-
ions to Divorces, as they came to be
termed, and merchants, business men of
all descriptions, lawyers and others rean-
ed pecuniary benefit from the law, In
Fargo, when the business under the old
law was at its flood, the Divorces were
numbered by the hundreds, and their ex
pendltureS in the different avenues of
trade aggregated hundreds of thousands.
For a town Of 100000 people this was a
considerable addition to the natural flow
OF money into business channels, and the
recipients of the money that was scat
tered lavishly broadcast thrived and
grew happy.
THE LAWS REPEAL
Then came the reaction. The state w
Z. L. u, the press and the pulpit took
up the matter and demanded the repeal
OF the law Bishop Stanley, of the Ro-
man Catholic church. took the platform
In crusade against the law
The vicious example being set to the
chlldren of the state, the deteriorating
lnIuencs welded by the many seekers
after separations, the Unenviable notori-
ETY. of the state through the east, where
divorces obtained in North Dakota were
frequently opened, ventilated and set
aslde, we're argued against the continu-
ance Of the old law. This resulted in the
Introduction Of a bill by Senator La
- Moure, two years ago, repeating the old
procure separation. The bill was the
first one introduced in either house of
the assembly and the first one to pass
ard become a law. Then the exodus of
divorces began, and at the present time.
aside from a few sufferers from calling
matrimonial bonds who are willing to
wait a year to establish a residence
there are few divorces in the state.
Many distinguished persons were
among those to take advantage Of the
North Dakota law while it as in opera
ton. At Mandan there was an organized
divorce colony, gathered through a
definite plan, agreed upon between local
lawyers and firm of Eastern attorneys.
The Eastern attorneys gathered in those
who had marital troubles to tell and
shipped them off out West to establish
a three months residence. The decree
of divorce was practically guaranteed.
Under the operations Of this bureau.
Lillian Blauvelt, the singer obtained a
divorce from her husband, Royal Stone
Smith. To the fact that she was forced
to come to North Dakota for d divorce
g. number of music lovers of the far
Western city Of Bismarck owe the graft
hcation of wish to hear her voice.
Olive May Carleton also secured a