The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-11-13
Easy and Fraudulent Divorces.

1t takes a great deal to shock the
moral sense. OF New York, and then
again It takes very little. They make q
great fuss sometimes over little immor-
alltics while the grosser ones are fire.
quently passed over, but the recent dis
covery OF trade In fraudulent divorces,
unearthed almost wholly by accident,
seems to have very properly aroused
the Indignation Of the press Of Gotham.
To strictly preserve the moral unitIes
divorce should be made much more dlf-
ficult than It is. p 5s III
While some western states have been
scandalized by, their dead easy" d.
vorce laws. It has come to light that the
stricter statutes OF New York have been
evaded by the foulest methods OF I'M
principled men who masqueraded as
lawyers.
{ The most searching investigation is
now going on. and the guilty parties
will undoubtedly be given a taste OF
prison life. These crimes against the
marriage laws and oftenses against all
the proprietles, not to say public de-
ceney. have not been confined to what
some people are. pleased to term the
lower and middle walks OF life. Very
high life in New York-high as meas
urcd by dollars and cents-has been
conspicuous of late in setting the pace
for the easy dissolution of marital ties.
1t is not necessary to name the parties
In question, but the interchange Of
wives and husbands has been painfully
immoral. Their ofrense was the greater
for. the reason that they were supposed
to be models Of the highest social stand
ards. These divorces were obtained
without publicity. and the causes that
led to these, separations. where they
were not the common property OF the
town, could only be conjectured. These
secret proceedings paved the way for
the crimes that have Just been discov-'
cred, made possible by the employment
of referees to take evidence In secret,
and that other aid to thesereprehenslbl
proceedlngs-sealed papers.
The New York Times speaking of
these methods has a very clear sense OF
the situation when 1t says:
Nor can It be denied that frauds OF
the sort now exposed are rendered
easier by the employment OF referees to
take evidence in secret. 1t would be
much more difficult, and indeed would
be practically impossible to practice
outrageous tricltery on parties ignorant
Of the proceedings II the proceedings
were public We are aware OF the ex-
cellent motives that induced the courts
first to send these cases to reference by
their own ruling, and when that was
found to be without warrant In law, in
duced the legislature to give the courts
discretion as to theSexcluslon of all per-
sons not directly interested This was
done to prevent the less evil of the at
tendance of the pruriently curious on
the courts. But 1t is plain that what
ever was gained In that direction must
be Offset by the facility afforded to
fraudulent practices. II the advantage
sought cannot be go without the attend
ant evil, it Is dearly bought. 1t is far
more important that the right OF mem
bcrs OF the community to complete
knowledge Of all legal proceedings in
which they are parties Is much more the
care OF the legislature and the courts
than Is the protection OF tho public from
the Indulgence of It's salacious tastes.
Any decent and healthy mind can pro-
tect Itself In that direction. and will do
SO without the aid or compulsion Of the
law. But no one should be left by the
law helpless to defend himself or her.
self against wrongs perpetrated through
the agencies OF the law.