Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-18
Supreme Court Decision Causes
Anxiety to Hundreds of Re
married Divorces
THE MINISTERS ALL REJOICE
They Believe Great Good Has Been
Accomplished, and That the Remedy
Urged by Them, National Divorce
Law, Will Ultimately Result Di-
vorces Legal in Illinois.

l
yesterday, for they did not know
| whether they were the lawful wives of
the men they We're living with or
whether the decision of the supreme
court of the United States would hold
children they had borne to be without
standing in Il court of law. And hum
dreds of Chicago men were just as
miserable.
| Nor was there happiness in the
hearts of the thousands of men, women
and children last night, for the men of
law had been unable to clear the puZ-
zle during the day. Even the judges
were divided. Some of them held that
all divorces where service had been OBJ
tanned by publication would be held to
be invalid, and others maintained that
in the final analysis the question would
be one where the judge must exercise
his discretion.
Mack Gives Ray Of Hope.
There remains one ray of hope for
those involved by the decision of the
highest tribunal in the land. Judge
Mack, in a statement issued late yes
terday afternoon, said the divorced and
remarked men and women of Illinois
need have no fear SO long as they re-
main in the stats or those states that
recognize the divorce code of Illinois.
He added that those who had secured
divorces in other states were safe in
Illinois. because the divorces of all
tae- II;
wealth.
The lawyers of Chicago We're busy
yesterday. 1t was difficult to secure a
telephone connection, for the lines were
kept hot by anxious men and women
who We're trying to learn their social
status. The voices of many could not
be recognized as they carried over the
wires, for the owners had been crying
and their words were often cut short
by their sobs.
The Ministers Rejoice.
But there was one class of men who
were happy at the decision, and these
were the ministers. They We're not
pleased because of the heartaches thai
would follow. but because they be-
lieved a great good had been accom-.
plished and the future would be made
more wholesome. They believed the
practice of securing divorces by fraud
had been struck body blow and that
easy" divorces would prevail no
longer.
And the fingers of all pointed to the
need of national divorce law. Not
a lawyer or jurist, a minister of the
gospel or a layman could be found
whn f1iJ ~, nj, 90
ulating divorces.
1T must come" said Judge Walker.
"A national divorce law is assured"
said Bishop Anderson.
The people will not rest content I'M
til they have secured national divorce
law" said Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones.
"A national divorce law alone will
solve the difficulty" was the express
sion of Judge NcEwen.
Gloom in Many Homes.
Thousands of Chicagoans were
struck with terror when they read the
headlines that told of the decision yes
terday morning. There had been no
question as to the legality of their mar
riage when they retired the night be-
fore, but in the morning all was diff
ferent. In a moment, it seemed, their
relations had been changed. In few
moments the telephone lines were busy.
The lawyers had not reached their Of
fees when messages came to them.
Many attorneys found clients waiting
at their office doors.
The kilograms from Washington had
not told ALL Just enough had come
to excite the anxiety of all Men and
women who were as truly one as the
law could make them feared with those
who had reason to fear. Attorney A.
S. Trude told of one experience he had.
"There was a woman at my
door when / arrived in the morning"
he said. "She had been crying and she
held small boy by the hand. knew
him we'll, for he had been named in my
honor. The voice of the woman was
barely audible. MIR. Trude, she said,
1T hasn't been long since you patted
nv boy and told him you We're proud
of YOUR namesake. Could you do as
much this morning? How was l to
answero I couldn't because l didn't |
know what to say.
Predicts Much Confusion.
haven't read all the decision, but
if it is in line with what I read in the
there'll be such mlXup |
in this country as we deemed impossl-
BILE. I can only compare it to the con-
fusion that prevailed in the time OF
lanes II. You may remember he was
onnosed to a certain form of religion
and held that all men and women mar
ried in that belief were without stand
ING in law. Their children were lille
climate and when the successors OF
the erratic king assembled the throne
they were compelled to have corps of
instead of one to undo the
work of James"
How many Chicago divorces will be
declared illegal"
Fully 500" he answered, "and the
marriages beink illegal the
PROPERTY on the death of the supposed
husband will not go to the woman who
was thought to be the wife and chill
iren of the marriage if there be any,
but to the wife who was divorced and
to the children borne by her if there
were any"
What is the remedy?'
"a national divorce law"
"How can that be obtained?"
II can not answer now. 1t will re-
luire some study
From the newspaper extracts of
he decision of the supreme court it
would seem it has held that divorce
L. 1