The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-29
UNIFORM DIVORCE
 UNDER DISCUSSION Women's Clubs Want Pres ent Lax Laws Changed
 and Made Stricter.
OBJECTIONABLE LAWS
Permit Man to Have Dozen Lawful Wives in the
 Various States.

Madison, May 28.-By invitation of the Fortnightly club of this place the Council of Connecticut, State Fedora ton of Women's clubs, held it's meeting here to-day. One hundred or more women were in attendance representing tho various clubs of the organization. Meetings were held in the Congrega- tional church.
 A brief memorial service was held for the late Mary Merriam Abbott of Wa terbury. Miss Abbott was formerly president of the state federation and prominent in the work of the organiza- tlons as well as in several of national importance.
 Lunch was served at 1 o'clock in the church parlors and at ? D. m. after brief addresses of welcome and response reports from the delegates of the fed eration to the recent Peace congress-" and to the National Council of Edn- cation" were read and an address on Plant Life" was given by Edward AL bert White of the Connecticut Agricui- tural college.
 One of the discussions of the after noon was on Uniform Divorce" The following paper on the subject was read by Miss Carrie A, Capen, chair man of the committee:
 There seems to be well founded belief among those who have spent time and thought in investigation, that the great and constantly increasing number of divorces in our country is due to the lack of divorce law uniform through oat the nation. This can only he ac- complished by the states, as no federal divorce law is feasible, the government having jurisdiction only over the Dis trict of Columbia and the territories, and in order to extend that power a constitutional amendment would be & necessary pre- ?requisite.
 tThis is almost impossible to secure, there being nearly as many minds on the subject as individuals. The major ity opinion, however, concur that the law should be sufficiently uniform to prevent annulment of the marriage tie
 
 residence to another state
 "The laws of the states vary to so great a degree that man may have a dozen lawful wives, or woman as many husbands, in different parts of the union, and it is a fact that children may be legitimate on one side If a river and iIlegitimate on the opposite side. There is no end to the freaks of law in this respect, perhaps the strangest Of all is in South Carolina, where, couples can marry themselves III any way they choose, but diyorces are not granted for any cause whatever, and t!:a fact that couple have lived to- gether for one year makes the offspring legitimate.
 Opposed to this. many western states, notably South Dakota, grant divorces for such causes as the follow ing, to wit: A man kept a saloon, man fell into a rage and broke some cups and caucers, a man used tobacco. a man cut his vhiskers bang, etc, etc. One can easily perceive why there is a gay divorce colony in Sioux Falls, S. D.'
 The report, after quoting the Connec- ticut statutes on the subject, says.
 ''The principal changes suggested are the divorce from bed and board, and a conditional judgment not to authorize rerIarriage for one year, thus giving opportunity for reconciliation when the judgment can be set aside.
 "The importance to woman of good divorce laws is unquestonable. mem- Der of our executive board, consulting at one time with Colonel Willial l.. Wooster of Derby in regard 70 the law Of equal guardianship, received ikis reply to her questions: Why do you bother with that? It is Tar more nee- essary to get law which will prevent a drunken, lazy or brutal husband from having a right to his wlfes nome and wages This shows that a stringent Gi- vdrce law would right other wrongs
 The following, being part of a letter from Talcott H. Russell, of New Ha- ven, gives reasons for the judicial sep aration being excluded from the Con- necticut law, and also information on other points. MT. Russell was one of the commissioners at the, divorce law congress.
 The principal cause under which di-