The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-01-30
Document Filed With Senator
Kirkman Prays for County
Unit, Divorce Reform and
Sunday Law.
TWO LOCAL FRIENDS
SIGN THE PETITION
Said to Represent Thirty Thou
sand Indiana Quakers of
The Two Large Yearly
Meetings of the State.

Yesterday there was filed with Sem
ator Roscoe E. Kirkman of Wayne
and Union counties a petition and pro-
test from the Western Yearly Meet
ing anu the Indiana Yearly Meeting OF
Friends, representing all told, about
thirty thousand people. OF the six
prominent Friends who have signed
this document, two are Richmond men,
Timothy Nicholson and Murray Ken
worthy, member of the Earlham fac
ulty.
This petition prays for the contin-
uance of the county local option law.
prays that the anti-Sunday baseball
bill be not repealed. and asks for re-
form in the state divorce laws. The
sdocument complete is as follows:
Complete Petition.
Honorable Gentlemen:
Whereas during the special session
of the legislature in September. 1908,
the annual session of the Western
Yearly meeting Of the Friends church
was held at Plainfield, Ind, and it
set8fo the legislature a petition pray
r. 1or the passage Of the county local
6fion law then pending; and the In
diana Yearly Meeting of Friends, held
in Richmond, Ind, few days after the
enactment OF the said local OPTICS
llaH. enthusiast tcally adopted . reaof6z
ton commencing the legislature for
this action;
And whereas. the demand for and
the popularity of this law. based. as it
is, upon the democratic principle that
the majority shall rule, has been abun-
dainty demonstrated by the prompt
action of several counties in at least
five congressional districts in the
northern, southern, eastern and west
ern portions of our state, in accepting
| its provisions. and many other cOun-
ties have petitioned the commissioners
to call elections as provided by this
law; and that the result of all the elec-
tions thus held, whether in republican
or democratic counties. has conclusive
ly shown by the large majorities
against the continuance of places for
the sale of Intoxicating liquors, it is
| question of morals and civic right
eousness and not of partisan politics.
This, too, has been demonstrated by
| our legislators, as no legislation fav-
orable to temperance has ever been Sc
| cured except by the votes of both re-
| publicans and democrats in the legis-
| lature;
And whereas. while every enactment
60, 4
| timely trial before amendment or re-
peal, a bill to repeal said county op-
| ton law has been introduced in the
| legislature in less than ninety days
after the law became operative:
| Therefore, we the undersigned. the
members of the legislative committees
of Indiana and Western Yearly Meet
| ings of Friends, officially represent
| ing a membership in Indiana of more
than thirty thousand. respectfully but
solemnly protest against the repeal or
amendment of the county local option
law
| BY the same authority we protest
against any amendment of our present
/ Sunday law which prohibits the play
| ing of any baseball. football or other
game, where a fee is charged on the
first day of the week, commonly call
ed Sunday.
| We also protest against our present
iniquitous divorce laws. by which. ac.
cording to statistics. in some Of our
counties one-fifth, and in the average
| of the entire state one-seventh of the
marriages are annulled by our courts
We respectfully pray your honorable
| bodies to so amend our divorce laws
as to greatly lessen the crying evils
| ent statute.
| We respectfully suggest an amend
ment which shall prevent the trial of a
divorce suit in less than six months af-
ter it has been filed, and that no di.
yorced person shall be permitted to
| marry in less than one year after the
annulment of a previous marriage
Very respectfully,
TIMOTHY NICHOLSON.
Merchant, Richmond
BENJAMIN F. MARSH.
Attorney. Winchester
| ELISHA B. RATCLIFF,
/ Farmer. spiceland
/ WILLIAM p. HENLEY.
/ Banker, Carthage
/ DAVID HADLEY,
| Minister, Danville
/ MURRAY KENwORTHY,
Professor Biblical Literature and
!, Greek, Eariham College