Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-01-16

all that Il cashier had to do after
wrccking a bank was TO cross the Cana
dian line and he was safe. Ontario
and Quebec and Montreal were "cities
Of refuge" crowded with fugidyes
from American justice. Hundreds OF
defaulters from Chicago and New York
and San Francisco and other cities
were living there. eloating over their
crimes. But now men guilty Of fnan-
cial crimes legally have no escape. A
criminal in the United States is Grim
inal in England, criminal In CANADA
is a criminal in France. To suppress
forgery and theft there must be con-
certed action between nations as well
as states. Why, in the same way,
should there not be concerted action
between states in reference 10 the d.
vorce law? But though concerted and
harmonious action by the different
state courts should be regarded as
necessity yet we find the actual condi-
tions Just the reverse. To Illustrate
how n man can defy the divorce courts
of one state by living in another state
prominent member of the Presby-
terian general assembly committee told
me that short time ago a man died in
the United States and left three legal
widows. He left three widows, and
he was not believer in brigham
Young either! How was thatf few
years ago this man went to western
state and there settled and married.
After awhile he became tired OF his
wife and decided he would marry an
other woman. So this man left the
state where he was then living and
went into another state, got divorce
and there remarked. or course the
state of his former residence did not
recognize the second marriage.
Time passed on. and this husband
tired Of his second wife. lie moved to
another state, got a divorce and mar
ried third wife. The marital disease
with him by this time was becoming
chronic. But now neither the first nor
the second state where he used to live
| IPCORHlZGu Ills lllib lilhLi Attt ~ 40 ~ -'''
| Time passed, aud this husband OF
many wives died. What was the re-
suit? Each of his former marital com
panions inherited the property of the
dead man which then existed in her
own statel BY law that man In three
different states left three different
wives, each a legal wife In her own
state but illegal in the other two
states. Such is an instance Of the
ridiculous and infinite absurditics ex-
listing between the conflicting divorce
courts of our land. But there must be
a legal change The divorce question
will never be dealt with as it should be
so long as a married woman living In
New York city can go and spend few
weeks In a western state and then take
train and go back to her old home
another mans wife. Concerted legal
action must be established between the
states. 1t is you, Christian people, to
whom God assigns the duty Of arousing
public sentiment against this evil and
compelling our national and state legis-
lators to take such action as will result
in making the marriage altar some
thing more than mere mockery.
Flood OF National Infamy.
A second breakwater to dam back
this submerging food Of national In
fanny: 1t is for the gospel ministers to
protest against it by practice as well
as by preaching. The pulpit cannot
speak loudly and with the voice of q
true leader unless at the same time II
refuses to become party to the ma
tional crime OF easy divorce. What DC
I mean by this statement? That the
minister himself shall not be blatant
and brutal divorce? oh, no. No sell
respecting Christian church would al
low her minister to continue preaching
in her pulpit after a divorce escapade
Poul writes. "a bishop must be blame
less. the husband Of one wife" nc
minister's life can be blameless whe1
he turns his back upon his first wife
for an unjust cause. But | do NEAR
this: A minister should not oficiate al
the second marriage of divorcee un
less he himself knows positively ina
the divorced man was not culpable II
the swapping of the marital bonds. BY
such a ministerial course public sentl
ment would be aroused against this ma
tional evil. and aroused quickly an6
permanently.
have taken only lately this stand IL
reference to the clergyman's responsi
bility. Like hundreds and thousand
of other ministers | have heretofore
said to myself: Il am not in any way
compelled to look into the personal char
acters of those whom | unite in mar
riage. When | used to. live In New
York state | had to ask the contractln!
parties q long list of questions an(
make a report to the county officials II
reference to the same. But in the stat
of Illinois the clerk Of the county cour
does that. He asks the questions. II
gives the license. lie is responsible
for the marriage, and not l." But
short time ago. when talking to
brother minister upon the subject, n
said: "You are wrong. You canno
shirk your responsibility in that way.
Then I commenced TO look at this re
sponslbility in another way. | said t
myself: "Yes, | am wrong. That cour
ty clerk cannot tell me what | ough
TO do. The paper he sends to me Is onl
q license, a governmental privilege, pei
|, hitting me 10 marry the parties II
wish. am not compelled so to dt
For instance: The saloon keeper gets
city license and has the privilege G
; selling me a glass of whisky. But b'
:. cause 1t is lawful for me to buy whisk
! from him that Is no reason why
e should drink it. Because the sporun
I element of San Francisco gets cit
: license for holding a prize fight that
e no reason why | am compelled to
: and witness two pugillsts batter eac
4 others face into pulp. Because Oh