Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-08-15
DIVORCES GALORE
Census Bureau Statistic Show
Startling Results

nave Deen granteu Dy INC couiee
of this country during the past
twenty years. This is an estimate
by the census bureau, and 1t is 80
startling that 1t probably will re-
suit in further important discus
sion Of the question of enacting
uniform divorce law in the various
States.
President Roosevelt, who has
discussed in his messages and
other Lublic utterances the gener-
al subject of Legislation bearing
upon marriage and divorce and
has expressed himself strongly in
favor of a uniform divorce law,
directed some. time ago that the
census bureau institute an inquiry
into the subject Of divorce. No
investigation into social or
economic question made in many
years is regarded as more import
ant to the people of the country
personally than this one, now just
fairly begun by Director North
and his assistants. 1t is expected
by the President that the statis-
tics gathered by the census bu-
reau, together with the legitimate
deductions from them, will de.
monstrate conclusively the neces-
sity for uniform divorce laws, and
be expects to use the figures to
bring about such a result.
The question has been consider
ed by the President with the
ablest lawyers of the Senate and
House Of Representatives. They
have concluded practically that, at
present, the Congress lacks the
constitutional power to enact a di-
vorce law which would be applica-
BILE in the Ststes. The President
hopes, therefore, to create a senti-
ment in favor of uniform legisla.
ton on the subject by the Leglsla-
turee of the various States or to
obtain from the people. through
the Legislatures, approval of a con-
stitutional amendment conferrlng
upon the Congress authority to
regulate by law the general matter
of msrrisge and divorce.
The statistics to be collected and
compiled by the census bureau
will cover the twenty-year period
from 1887 to 1905, inclusive. A
similar investigation was made in
1885, covering 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 1885, 484, 68S applications
for divorce were made to the
courts and 1928, 716 of them subse-
quently were granted. Figures al
ready in the hands of Director
North warrant the statement that
in the past twenty years the APP
plications for divorce aggregated
nearly million and half, while
the divorces actually granted
nun bered more than a million.
or course, even this alarming to-
tai does not include oil cases of
infelicity of marriage, but only
the Sc which reached the courts in
spite of the apprehension of the
parties of public scandal.
The inquiry will be conducted
along such lines as will make the
resultant figures and deductions
valuable in the preparation Of
laws for the regulation of mar
riage and divorce. An effort will
be made to collect the statistics
practically simultaneously, as In
the case of the taking of the popu-
lation of the country. Special
agents will be appointed in all
parts of the country to examine
the records of the divorce courts.
In the United States there are
nearly 5000 counties, all of which
probably have records in their
ccurts of divorce applications. All
details concerning each case will
be collected and tabulated with
studicus care. Particular refer
ence will be made to the nun Der
of children affected by the divorce
cases and how they were affected,
as thest facts, it is believed, will
be potent in determining the
actioL of the Legislatures in the
passage Ct laws.
When the investigation shall
have been concluded and the
figures studied carefully with a
view to presenting in concrete
formsthe result of the inquiry, the
president will transmit the report
to the Congress, probably accom-
panied by special message. In
that message it is expected that
he will give utterance to his views
on he subject Of the action to be
taken to correct what is regarded
by sociologists as one Of the great
est evils of our time,
"No, Sir" eyes, Ma'am" Goes
"No, sir" "Yes, ma'am," and
all that sort of thing is being eli.
rated from the public schools OF
ALo n,nilc ra hai m cy