The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-08-15
DIVORCE RECORD.
a wITI1ON BROKEN MARRIAGES
lNTRENTY YEARS.
Census department diligently Cath
ering Statistics Which President
Roosevelt Will Employ.

One million divorces, st least, were
granted by the courts Of this country
during the past twenty years. This
is an estimate bV the census bureau,
and it is so startling that it pro badly
will result in further important dis
cussion OF the question Of enactlng q
uniform divorce Law in the various
States.
President Roosevelt, who has dis
cussed In bis messages and other pub
lie utterances the general subject CT
legislation bearing upon marriage and
divorce and has expressed himself
strongly in favor OF a uniform divorce
law, directed scme time sgo that the
census bureau institute an inquiry
into the subject OF divorce No In
vestigation into social or economic
question made in many years Is re
gsrded IS more important to the peo.
pls OF the country personally than
this one, now Just fairly begun by
Director North and his corps OF assis-
sants. It Is expected by the Pre6i
dent that the statistics gathered by
the census bureau, together with the
legitimate deductions from them, will
demonstrate corclusiVely the neces-
sity Il uniform divorce laws, and be
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 Be
presentstives. They have concluded
practically that, at present. tie Con.
gress lacks the constitutional p Ssr
to enact q divorce law which woa!2 p
applicable in the States. The P;ss
dent hopes, therefore, to create
sentiment in favor OF uniform legisla
tlon on the subject by the Legisla:ur'
es OF the various States or to obtain
from the people, through the LegiSla.
lures, approval OF 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 will
cover the twenty.year period from
1887 to 1906, inclusive. a similar IL
vsuigation was made in 1886, cover.
ing q twenty. year perioo, and the
figures Of the two periods are expected
20 prove valuable for comparison. In
the period of twenty years just pre-
ceding 1886. 4S4, 6S3 applications Tor
aivorcs were made to the courts and
32S, ,7l6 OF them subst quently were
granted. Figures already in the
bands OF Director North, OF the cen
nus bureau, warrant the statement
that, in the past twenty years, the
applications for divorce aggregated
nearly 8 million and half wbile the
divorce actually granted numbere d
more than million. OF course,
even this alarming total does not In
!ude all cases Of the intelicity OF mar
risge, but only those which reached
the courts in spite Of the appretien
sion Of the parties OF public scacdsl.
The inquiry will be conducted along
such lines as will make the resultant
fsures aud deductions valuable In the
preparation OF laws for the regulation
II marriage and divorce. An effort
! will be made to collsct the statistics
practically simultaneously, as in the
case Of the taking Of the population
OF the country. Special agents will
be appointed in all parts OF country
10 examine the records Of the divorce
courts. In the United States there
are nearly 3, 900 counties, all OF which
probably have records in their courts
of divorce applications. All details
concerning each case will be collected
and tsbulated with studious care.
Particular reference will be made to
the number of children affected BY
she divorce cases and how they we're
affected, as these facts, it is believed,
will bs potent in determining the &C
tion OF the Legislatures In the pass
age Of laws.
When the Investigation shall nave
been concluded and the figures studied
carefully with q view to presenting
ia concrete form the result OF the In
ouiry. the President will transmit
The report to the Congress, probably
accompanied by q special messag. II
that uuSerance to his views on the sub
ject Of the action to be taken to corfec'
That is regarded by sociologists a:
one ct the greatest evils Of our time.
SEVERAL ARRESTED