The Washington times., 1901-12-02
A RUSH OF TRADE AT
THE DIVORCE MILL.
THE NEW CODE RESPONSIBLE.
limitation of Causes for Severance
of Marital Bonds soon Opera
tive-EGorts 10 Re-enact
- Former Law.

During the past FIVE months over As per
cent of suits filed IN the equity division of
the Supreme Court of the District were in
the form of petitions for divorce in some
one of its dii15-ent phases. For the six
months extending from January l, 1891, TO
June 80 last. the records show that tn
percentage has been nearly as great. =
ing little more than ~ per cent
Limited to Statutory Grounds
This abnormal increase in the number
Of petitions for divorce filed is believed
to be due TO the fear that the new code
of laws for the District, limiting the
grounds for divorce to adultery, will be-
come operative on January l neyt. The
committee of the Washington Bar Asso-
citation. after the adoption Of the code by
Congress in March last. reconsidered the
question of divorce. however. and will at
the present session of Congress offer an
amendment striking out the section regu-
lating matters Of divorce and recommend
that the old law allowing the severance
of the bonds of matrimOny for many
causes be substituted. The Te-enactment
of the old law will be more satisfactory
10 the residents Of the District if the
grounds on which divorces have been
granted is a good basis Of opinion.
According to the old law man or wom-
an could secure a divorce because OF the
incompa.bility Of temper of his or her
helpmeet, as the case might be Drunk
enness desertion, or even constructive
desertion, non-s1pport, coming home too
late at night or too early in the morniug,
a husband or wife speaking to or OF a
person Of the opposite sex in an affection
ate manner. or cruelty Of any kind, were
do de r1afif
Efforts to Re-ennct Old Law.
When The code was adopted by Congress
in March last the committee of the Wash
ington Bar Association having the mat
ter in charge were appealed TO from every
side to have the law changed again. The
question was taken under considera tion
along with other matters in relation to
which changes were suggested. The re-
suit was that after the divorce law as in
eorporated in the new code was consid-
Ired, the committee prepared an amend
Ilent, which win be offered during the
present session of Congress, recommend
ing the re-enactment of the old law,
which makes divorce comparatively easy
TO be obtained
The steady increase In the number OF
petitions for divorce filed since the be-
ginning OF the present year is, however,
only IN keeping with that OF the previous
twelve months. The records OF the equity
dockets show that during the first six
months of the year 19cn. 33 per cent of
the suits filed in that branch Of the court
were petitions for divorce. During the
mex six months, from June 30 10 Decem-
ber 81, the percentage was little more
than forty in every hundred OF the suits
filed. So il will be seen that there has
been a steady increase of the number of
petitions for divorce each six months dur
ing the last two years.
Divorce Suits Filed.
The greatest number Of petitions filed
IN a single day was on October "a last
when seven were placed upon the records
OF the court In May last the number OF
petitions FOR dir-orce filed consecutively
exceeded this During the three days of
May 10. l5, and II, nine petitions were
fled. While ever petition Of this nature
is classed as a petition for divorce, still,
in some few Of them, only limited di-
vorce Is asked.
OF the 1872 petitions Of this nature filed
during the first six months of the year
1860 10 nine the petitioner asked only for
n separate support and maintenance with
out dissolution Of the bond OF matri-
mony. In one or two other instances the
proceedings were instituted for the pur-
pose of annuling the marriage contract
entered into between the parties because
OF false representations alleged to have
been made by one of the parties.
Whether or not the amendments sug-
gestee by the committee In charge of tho
code will be acted upon before January l