The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-01-02
DEMAND FOR MARRIAGE
LICENSE
Action Of the Cotton MIL President
In their organized Capacity as on
Anti Matrimonial Agency,

Action Of the Cotton MIL President
In their organized Capacity as on
Anti Matrimonial Agency,
News and Courier
The Advocacy on the part Of the
South Carolina Association of Cotton
Manu- facturers for a State marriage Ii
cense law deserves the support of the
citizens generally of the State While
the sudden coming into existence OF
many manufacturing villages has
brought to public attention many social
questions heretofore overlooked, the
need for safeguards about the marriage
contract is much older than the cot.
ton mill establishments. The migra-
tory habit of q part of the cotton mill
population and the tendency of the
people in the mill villages towards
aloffness from other parts of the popu-
lation has naturally resulted in an in
crease of unwise marriages and these
have come under the immediate eye OF
the mill managers. Nevertheless, with
South Carolina the one State in the
Uniou in which the strength Of the
marriage contract has not been impair
ed by divorce laws, the necessity that
precautionary statutes should be enac-
ted to minimize the evil of hasty en-
trance into the contract seems too OBJ
vious to require discussion.
The practical value of a marriage IL
cense law may be presented In q coD-
vincing way by the simple statement
of an incident that is repeated not only
in mill Villages but in other places
somewhere in the State every year. A
youth and a maid who are keeping
company" impulsively agree upon
marriage. It may be that they are
scarcely acquainted. Their association
may be unknown to parents and guar
dams. An instant visit to minister or
magistrate, lat any hour by day or night,
is always easy and the marriage Is
performed. It Is only the popular ig-
norance of the nature of the contract
that causes the silly couple to resort to
the formality Of employing q clergy
man or civil officer, q private citizen
being equally qualified under the law
to oficiate as witnesses to the expressed
agreement and no ceremony Whatever
being essential to it's perfect legality.
In 9 large proportion of cases these
marriages result In disaster, and re-
pentance Is frequently immediate, but
the blunder Ia irreparable.
Were q license from the Judge OF
Probate or Clerk of the County Court,
or even from q magistrate q requisite:
were 1t made unlawful for any person
to oficiate as the third. party at the
marriage until the license had been
preferred, at least time would be;gained
When Jul young people determine up
on marriage at hight, they would be
forced 10 wait until the license offices
were opened the next day. Meantime
parents and guardians would be likely
to learn Of the tendency of the affair
and there would be the opportunity
to persuade against it. Marriages. have
taken place too often In South CAROLYN
which were suggested and consum-
mated when the mar was.not even re-
spopsible and II preliminary legal for
malities were required, time for sober
ing would be allowed. ~.
Meantime q substantial objection to
a marriage license law has never been
suggested and its absence from the
statute books is TO be attributed simply
to the failure of Legislatures to serious.
ly consider the great and growing Deed
for it.