The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-08-17
DIVORCE REC0RD. !.
A MILLION BROKEN MARRIAGES.
IN TWENTY YEARS. 40
Census department diligently Cath
ering Statistics Which President
Roosevelt Will Employ.

ering Statistics Which President
Roosevelt Will Employ.
One million divorces, at least, were
!, granted by the courts Of this country
during the past twenty years. This
is an estimate bv the oensus bureau,
and 1t ia 30 startling that 1t pro bably
will result In further important dis
oussiOn OF the question Of enaoting 8
uniform divorce law In the various
States.
President Roosevelt, who has dis
cussed In his messages and other pub
lie utterances the general subject OF
Legislation bearing upon marriage and
divorce and has expressed himself
strongly in favor Of q uniform divorce
law, directed some time ago that the
census bureau institute an inquiry
into tho subject OF divorce No in
vestigation Into q social or economic
question made in many years III re.
Rarded az more importanb to the PEG.
pie OF tho country personally than
this one, now just fairly begun by
Director North end his corps of ASIA
tants. 1t Is expected by the Presi.
dent that the statistics gathered by
the census bureau, together with the
legitimate deductions from them, will
demonstrate cono!usively the neces-
sity Of uniform divorce laws, and he
expects to use the figures to bring
abJut such q result.
The question has been considered
by the President with the ablest law.
yers Of the Senate and House of Re.
personalities. They have Concluded
practically that, at present, the Con.
gress lacks the constitutional p,aot
to enact q divorce law which woulu -
applicable In the States. The Pres.
dent hopes, therefore, to create b
sentiment in favor of uniform legisla
tion on the subject by the Legislature.
es OF the various States or to obtain
from the people, through the Legisla.
tureP, approval Of q constitutional
amendment confering upon the Con
gress authority to regulate by law the
general matter of marriage and
divorce.
The statistics to be collected and
compiled by the census bureau viii
cover the twenty. year period from
1887 to 1905, inclusive. a similar In
vastigation was made in 1885, cover,
Ing q twenty. year period, and the
figures OF the two periods are expected
to prove valuable for comparison. In
the period OF twenty years just pre-
ceding 1886. 4S4.683 applications for
divorce were made TO the courts and
1928. TIC OF them subsequently, we're
granted. Figures already in the
hsnde Sssqzss Nor5hpof ssns
sua bus saa, @@ETSna $ae sgaJeM@aC
that, In the past twenty years, the
applications for divorce aggregated
nearly q million and q half while the
divorce actually granted numbered
more than q million. or course,
aven this alarming total does not in
5lude all cases Of the infelictty Of mar
rage, but only those which reached
the courts In spite OF the apprehen
sion Of the parties Of public scaudal.
The INQUIRY will be conduc cd along
such lines as will make the resultant
figures and deductions valuable in the
preparation Of laws for the regulation
OF marriage and divorce. An effort
will be made to collect tile statistics
practically simultaneously, as in the
case Of the taking Of the population
VI oho oouL Uiy. OpeCldl dRenGS Will
be appointed In all parts Of country
to examine the records Of the divorce
courts. In the Unlted States there
are nearly 5000 counties, all Of which
probably have records In their courts
If divorce applications. All details
concerning each base will be collected
aud tabulated with studious care.
Particular reference will be made to
the number OF children affected by
the divorce cases and how they were
affected, as these facts, it ia believed,
will be potent In determining the &C
dion Of the Legislatures In the pass
age Of laws.
When the Investigation shall have
been concluded and the figures studied
carefully with q view to presenting
In concrete form the result OF the In.
quiry, the President will transmit
the report to the Congress, probably
accompanied by a special messag. In
that utteranoe to his views on the sub
j'ct OF the action to be taken to correct
what is regarded by sociologists 81
one Of the greatest evils Of our time.