The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-06

| THE DIVORCE EVIL.
1t is believed among those who are in
close touch with President Roosevelt
that he will make a notable departure
in his forthcoming message 10 Congress
and write strongly with respect to the
subject of divorce. Heretofore Presi-
dents in considering the condition OF
the country have touched only on po-
litical, commercial and Industrial sub
jects; now, it is said, Col. Roosevelt
will discuss the domestic relations of
the people and urge the ACCESSIBILITY
of congressional action looking TO the
enactment of marriage and divorce
| laws that shall be common TO all of
the states. During the past several
months the President has consulted
with a number Of leading clergymen of
| different faiths and several pubiicists
! practically all of whom have confirmed
| him in his opinion that divorce has be-
come a national scandal and a menace
to society. and that it is about time
| heroic measures were taken to check it.
That divorce as it goes these days
is an evil and a scandal is too
we'll known to be questioned. Cardinal
Gibbons a day or two ago denounced it
as "a means to polygamy," and as "a
cancer poisoning the fountains of the
nation" Leading clergymen of all de-
nominations are opposed to divorce and
thunder against it. They realize that
1t cheapens the marriage relation and
is fruitful of broken homes and prac-
tically orphaned children. In great
many of the states the divorce laws
are so lax as to be a blot on the pro-
fessed Civilization of the people. A New
York couple in ultra-fashionable So
ciety have a disagreement; the wife
goes to South Dakota and remains for
six months; she acquires residence"
there, then sues for divorce. Almost
as soon as the ink is dry on the de-
cree she hastens back to New York,
where she marries again; and her ex-
husband as promptly attaches TO him
self another wife. New York society is
we'll sprinkled with men and women
who have been divorced one or more
times and have married again; and the
scandals that have attended the di-
vorces have made delectable stories for
the yellow" journals, and poisoned the
minds of thousands of innocent young
readers. New York, by the way, is re-
ferred to merely by way of illustration.
The same is true of about every other
large city of the country. Chicago,
Cincinnati, Pittsburg, St. Louis, Boston,
etc. are in the same boat with New
York in this matter.
The adoption of a national divorce
law, however, would be attended with
many difficulties The states would
hesitate to surrender the domination of
their domestic affairs. In all the states
there are probably not two sets of di-
vorce laws that are exactly parallel,
and each state thinks that it's own reg
ulations are best suited to its own pc
culiar conditions. South Carolina does
not recognize divorce for any cause
whatsoever. "Once married, always
married" is the rule in that state.
South Dakota recognizes some ten or
dozen grounds for divorce. How, for
instance could these two states be har-
monized in a general divorce law?
South Carolina would object most
strongly. in the name of virtue and
the home, to a modification of her mar
riage laws so as to meet Dakota half
way, and Dakota would as strongly in
sist that a law binding husband or
wife for all time to an unworthy mate
was brutal and unreasonable.
40 8 nj inc "a Vef
ormation of the marriage and divorce
laws is earnestly to be desired. 1t may
be that the President will be able to
throw some helpful light on the ques-
ton of how the reform is to be effected.