The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-10-27
LAxlrY oE MARRIAGE LAWS.

| He makes a biting contrast OF the
,sreful inquiries and strict regislra-
lion OF birth and antecedents imposed
on all matrimonial candidates by ante
nuptial laws of foreign countries, with
the wide-open state in the Ohitea
States, and points out that no country
in the world except the United states
and few primitive countries IKE
! some of those of Darkest Africa"
fails to provide the essential legal
safeguards az regards the entrance up
on the marriage state that is due
society and in keeping with the high
! civilization such as we have in most
respects.
There is much-talked of demand
| in this country for uniform" divorce
laws. Mr.. Miller declares that when
uniform and common sense marriage
laws are enacted the vexed divorce
problem will be half solved. Besides
such dastardly crimes as higamY
would be next to impossible. Says
Mr. Miller:
| There are hundreds of cases of big
amy in this country every year. Inc
most of them go unpunished to save
| families from scandal. Under existing
| conditions a man NAV have family
| in Tennessee, come to Illinois or New
York, marry under his changed name,
live lie for years with an innocent
and helpless woman to the ultimate
disgrace of herself and her family,
and very likely, of the two sets OF
children by the polygamous father.
| Such a black crime is practically I'M
possible in France of Germany
"The thoughtful American father
and her having young sons and
daughters have every reason to be
anxious, because of the lack of proper
marriage laws in this country.
There are about 100000 pupils
enrolled In the public and private
schools of the United States Any one
of these, when budding into man
hood or womanhood, may run away
from home and school any day and be
married. 1t is very easy for young
people, when determined on an adven-
ture of this kind, to sign an affidavit
that they have reached the required
age. The famous marrying parsoL and
the Squire friend of Cupid, that the
newspapers tell us about. are in the
marrying business. 1t is simply a
matter of commerce with them. They
are conscienceless and wink at the
pranks Cupid plays with the very
crude marriage laws in e., of the
states and with decency. In some
: states licenses are not required
s These do a thriving matrimonial bust
a ness, many of the alliances being
secret"
. In the United States couple may
q in capricious moment, fall in love
"at first sight" get the license and b.
married, all within an hour. Ever,
reader knows what is said of the ''olt
fool" This species is a frequent vic
time of the hasty marriage indiscretiol
and is cited by Mr.. Miller as affordini
. an additional argument in favor of NOR
II stringent marriage laws. Society, it |
D suggested, needs protection from til
"old fool and he needs protection
IS from himself. Recurring TO hasty an
IT ill-considered marriages among tn
IS young Mr. Miller says:
The fond mother whose fifteen
year-old daughter Is in the publ
a. school never knows when the 'appl
- of her eye may elope and break he
- cart. Any girl can do so any day 8
= far as the loose laws on marriage ar
e concerned. Such an episode mean
le ruin for the girl, generally, but nc
TX for the boy. There is no equality c
in the sexes in such matters and neye
n. will be. The boy is expected, S
"a everybody says and thinks, 70 so,
m some wild oats" All his boyhoo
- friends treat the incident as a grea
~ joke because he becomes 'prominer
n man OF affairs But what about th
poor girl whose parents, perhaps ha
the marriage annulled2 II is locke
of upon in her after life as being an,
,ls thing bur joke Nothing is ever sal
= about il by her friends but 1t Is nj
forgotten-no, never. Equal rights
os or rather equal consideration for tt
ss. sexes in these matters ought TO obtai
he but they do not and never will \
I'D kind of legislation nor human remet
ill can change this any more than Il
- same can change an eternal law of n
ture.
So Secret marriage is of frequent q
ne currence in our country Such ma
les riages would be impossible in &c
let many, France or England. Many pc
on. pie in the United States, who are O
enough to know better, prefer fro
caprice, or even a less worthy reaso
secret marriage to a decent and ci
Rs. ilized one, out in the open and know
VS. to all the world. *The most SO
out sational stories of these everyday DC
ant formances in American life but +
49, possible in any leading Europe
lne country, are printed in the pre-
me throughout the world to hold us un
ock contempt and scorn as the freak r
the ton of the earth. More than anythi
vas else. probably. this sort of thing in
ora Gates that the social conditions
~ this country are not yet stable"
-. The people in the European co,
o.. &c tries do not have the same idea
INC independence" and freedom" tt
hes the masses of our people have. VIII
lea- child grows up to be married it
on necessary to bring certified copy
ses the record OF its birth to the ofic
OF who issues the licenses. This is
ore CURED of both the parties to the m
ere rage contract Without thic NO Eoo,