The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-11-14
DISCUSS NEW DIVORCE LAWS
DELEGATES FROM MANY STATES
 AT NATIONAL CONGRESS,
one-Thlrd of Proposed Uniform Bill as Drafted by the Committee at Wash ington Some Time Ago is Adopted Seven Causes for Annulment of Mar riage and Six for Absolute Divorce.

Philadelphia, Nov 43-The national congress of uniform divorce laws in session In this city to-day adopted about about one-third of the proposed uniform bill as drafted by the commit tee appointed at meeting in Washing ton nine months ago. The portion adopted includes seven causes under which annulment of marriage may be obtained and six causes for absolute divorce.
 Delegates from twenty states and the District of Columbia and rep resentatives of all Protestant denomi- nations who were present at the inter- national conference on marriage, to- gether with the Catholic prelate, Bish- op shanley of North Dakota, attended the sessions which were presided over by Governor Pennypacker.
 Discussion of the bill by sections be- gan at the afternoon session, the morn- ing having been taken up by Governor Pennypacker's address and the reading of the report of Walter George Smith of Pennsylvania, the. chairman of the committee who drew up the bill The important changes in the bill are the striking out of all reference to pro- ceedings and practice leaving the ques- tion for the various legislative bodies to pass upon. The committee decided that so long as open hearings are held and the laws provide for direct service on the respondent, and fix a punish ment for colluslon, the measure need not conform to any fixed rule.
 The causes for which divorce can be granted are infidelity, felony, bigamy deserton, habitual drunkenness and in tolerable cruelty and in the discussions of the various sections there was little opposition to any of these provisions but in the list of causes for annulment of marriage, opposition was presented against several.
 Governor Pennypacker took excep. tions to the clause which provides that 1 if either party unknown to the other was insane at the time of marriage, il should be annulIed. The governor heId that the clause not only gave the sane party the right to bring suit, but alsc gave this right to eommitte of the lunatic. He argued that marriage was a personal relation and third persor had no rights in the contract.
 Seneca N. Taylor agreed that tho third party is the public, and it has a right to forbid the propagatoin of chil. dren from the insane. The question ot property rights he also held was in. volved
 The clause was adopted
 There was also opposition to the clause annulling the marriage of a glr under the age of sixteen and a youth under eighteen. Ernest Merten ol Wisconsin held that girl under eigh. teen was incapable of making a proper marriage contract and Frank H. Kerr of Ohio favored the law of his state which makes the marriage of boy un der 21 and a girl under IS void. Miss Rachael Siegel of Utah, the only wom, an speaker, held that 16 years for tho girl was all right. She said "We wom en ought to know.
 The clause was adopted.
 Though personally opposed to di vorce, Bishop shanley voted for the sections in behalf of his state because other delegates were not present.