The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-04-10
DIVORCE SUIT
| STATISTICS
Of Marion County now Being
Secured.
N.I. "a -
DRINK DIX and ADULTERY 1T: R. |
Found to be Cause of Major
ity of Suits. mgol
A Refor of Entire Country will 60
to Congress and National Divorce
Law will Undoubtedly Result

Statistics of divorce suits
brought in the Marion county
court of common pleas during the
past twenty years are being COM
piled by William j. Elliott, spe-
cial agent OF the department of
commerce and labor. Mr.. Elliott
began his work here Wednesday
morning and will probably be here
during the next three weeks.
For more than seven months
Representative of the census bur
eau of the United States commerce
and labor department have been
at work in Ohio and other states,
compiling these statistics. Ohio
has been almost completely cover
ed by these agents, Marion county
being one cd the last in which
the work is being done.
The department will finish its
work of research in the South.
The work there will require COM
paratively little time, owing to
the various existing conditions in
that section Of the country which
cause the divorce suits brought
there to be far less than that
class of litigation in the northern
states.
Mr.. Elliot thinks that within
six months divorce statistics for
the entire country will he in
the hands OF the census bureau.
These statistics will be compiled
into a report and submitted to
congress at its next session. Tn,
plan is to enact u national law for
the regulation of divorce proceed
ings, and these statistics will be
used in framing this law.
Strong drink is the basis
OF the great majority of divorce
SUITS" said liAIr. Elliott, before be-
ginning his work here Wednesday.
although practically all of the
suits embrace the statutory grounds
for gross neglect and extreme
cruelty, the drink habit is gener-
ally found to be at the back of
these charges. -
The sin of adultery has also
been found to be alarmingly prevail
ent IN the stories or domestic IN
felicity in Ohio. In the large
majority OF suits, according to Mr..
Ell!ott's. observations, the husband
is apparently the trouble maker,
the wife being PLAINTIFF in by far
the greater portion of cases.
During the asst six monhs, Mr..
Elliott's work has taken him into
great many OF the counties in
Ohio. Before coming here. he
finished his investigation of
conditions in Wyandot county and
a few weeks ago went over the
records In Crawford county. lie
intended to begin work here more
than a month ago, but had scarcely
arrived in the city when he re-
ceived word to report at Washing
ton. There he found all of the
other agents on hand and learned
that the fund set aside for the
divorce investigation had become
exhausted.
After finishing up here, Mr.. Er
liott Will probably be transferred
to another state, since it is
thought that by that time. Ohio
will have been completely cover.
ed.
81 would be willing to take n
bet that the statistics for Marion
county will show that more divorce
suits have been brought here dur
ing the past twenty years than in
any other Ohio county of propor-
tionate size.
MIR. Elliott's report will show |
the number OF Jivorca suits
brought during the twenty wears,
the number granted and refused, |
the number brought by wives and |
number by husbands, the grounds, |
and VariOuS Other foote 30 Io -,