Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1905-1906, 1906-01-30
CHICAGO NOTED
FOR DIVORCES
REPUTATION FOR MARITAL
TROUBLES ATTRACTS AT
TENTIoN OF INvESTIGA-
TORS.
WILL PROBE EVERY PHASE
Intend To Find Out Which Are Most
Successful, Church or Court
Marriages.
WILL PROBE EVERY PHASE

Washington, Jan. 29.-Chicago is
to be given whatever distinction ac-
crues from having its divorce records
studied by officials of the United
States government i'll advance of
those Of any other city in the union.
In truth or in falsehood Chicago
h IS ecqmrcd notoriety for marital
troubles, and, as a consequence, the
government, believing the field to be
fallow, will send two investigators
to the city to set the investigation
pace for the men who some weeks
later will be directed to uncover di-
vorce facts in other centers of pop
ulation.
The Chicago investigators will be
given instructions to comment in
their reports upon any specific cause
which they may find for an unusual
number of divorces within a given
time.
One of the officials in the census
department said that the st. Joseph
Gretna Green marriages would come
under this head and that unquestion-
ably facts of decidedly interesting
nature would be learned about the
results Of having a "marriage mar
ket' within a few hours sail of a
city of 100000 people.
The investigation which will begin
in Chicago is the result of direct
recommendation of President Roose-
welt, who became interested in the
subject of separation of husbands
and wives as a corrollary to his feel
ings on the race suicide matter.
The president sent a special mes
sage to congress on the subject a
year ago, and as a result of this spe-
cial message, Director S. N. D. North,
of the census bureau, is planning to
send out his investigators.
Chicago people will be especially
interested in the fact that this in
quiry will not stop with the mere
gathering of statistics showing the
number Of divorces granted in Chi
cago, but will 60 deeper into the very
heart of things.
1t is the hope Of the officials that
they will obtain specific knowledge
of the causes of all Chicago divorces
and adequate information concerning
what becomes of the children of di-
vorced parents.
President Roosevelt was led to
send his message to congress at the
time that he did by the pleadings of
several clergymen who called upon
him. Two of the visitors were Rev.
Samuel w. Dixie, secretary of the
National Divorce Reform League,
and Bishop Doane, of the Protest
Episcopal Diocese of Albany.
The clergymen spoke strongly up
on the sanctity of Christian marriage
and this has given the census bureau
officials happy thought.
An attempt IS to be made In Chi
cago to find out whether there are
more divorces in proportion among
persons married by the courts than
the are among persons married by
the churches.
Admittedly this will be something
of task, but if it be found that the
proportion of divorces is greater
among those bound by civil contract
only than among those joined by the
Christian ministry the churches of
the country will have the text for a
strong argumentative sermon.
1t is the belief current in all parts
of the country that divorces are OBJ
tainable more easily in Chicago than
elsewhere. The story to the effect
that when a train arrives at the city
on Lake Michigan, the brakeman
calls out, "Chicago, thirty minutes
for divorce" though decrepit in age,
is not vet dead.
Because of the belief that Chicago