Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-01-22
SOUTH CAROLINA MAY
HAVE LICENSE LAW.
Evils Of Free And Easy Mar.
riagG Are Attacked.

Columbia, SC, January 20.-The en-
actment of a marriage license law i
being discussed in the senate of Soutl
] Carolina.
Whether the hand of the law shall u
thrown about the women, scarcel!
more than children, who enter the mos
sacred bond known to mankind, will
eyes closed to consequences, or the
present lax system of marriage be
maintained, is the argument submit
ted by those i'll favor of the bill intro
duced by Senator Howard B. Carlisle
of Spartanburg.
The traditions of South Carolina, the
possibility of a divorce law, the limi-
tations of the bill before the senate,
We're some of the matters taken up by
those opposed to the licensing of mar
riages.
Senator Wharton, of Laurens, in adj
vocating a marriage license law, re-
ferred to the recent case i'll Spartan
burg, in which man and woman were
married, the man being drunk at the
time. The case came before circuit
judge and was considerably discussed
in the press. Senator Wharton said
that I'VE protect the fish who get into
a trap and the birds of air, then. why
should we not protect those Is and 1G-
year-old girls who are in a trap. some
of them not being able to judge for
themselves.
Senator Hardin, of Chester, who is Il
bachelor, opposes the bill, stating
moreover that he believed in early
marriages.
Senator Muckenfuss, of Dorchester,
pointed out the reasons why bill tf
the kind is advocated. He thought that
the main object should be to protee,
property rights and to prevent those
not qualified from entering the bonds
of matrimony.
Senator Howard B. Carlisle, the au-
thor of the marriage license bill. ex-
plains his attitude in the matter.
AS the law now is, any two people
nav get married without even getting
4 preacher-in fact, all they have to
say is Eve are married, a contract I'M
breakable in this state, the most pecul-
lar Of all contracts
Senator Carlisle says that either the
2reatest happiness on earth or the
worst hell was thus brought about in
marriages. Must we let hopes be
wrecked simply because the people Of
:" nh Carolina have always done this
thing?' said Mr.. Carlisle
On the question of the possibility Of
divorce law following the marriage
license law, Senator Carlisle SAYS the
lawyers now send their clients 10
Georgia or North Carolina when di-
vorces are sought. There is no con-
nection between this law and a divorce
law said Mr. Carlisle. THE Senate
OF South Carolina could no more enact
a divorce law than change the law If
gravitation. We couldn't get a cor
poral guard behind US, even if We
wanted to do that. In the first place, It
is imbedded within the constitution Of
this state that there shall be no divorce
law enacted in South Carolina. To en-
act a divorce law it would be neces-
sary to pass by a two-thirds vote the
qestion of submitting a constitutional
amendment to the constitution to the
people of the state. Then they would
have to vote for the amendment and
we would then have to ratify it,"
Senator Carlisle contended that the
bill as to marriage license does not
lead to divorce law and if it did there
would not be one passed.
THE time of our body in working to
enact this bill into law" concluded the
senator from Spartanburg, would be
well spent if We save six girls, even if
we save one, in this state.
Government ownership of brains
Io1,