Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1912-12-17
MARRIAGE IICENsEs, FEES AND SECRECY.

THE marriage license law proposed by J. Austin
Il Ellison, secretary Of the Wilmington Board Of
Health unquestonably would be a splendid thing for
the board, as It would put approximately $4,000
year into its treasury but it would be a bad thing
for the Clerk of the Peace and the magistrates here
as it would deprive them of substantial emoluments
which go with their Offices According to esti-
mates made by Mr.. Ellison, 5000 marriage licenses
issued in this city each year Most Of them
issued by four magistrates who do not receive
salaries but dependent upon the fees they col
lect The money they receive from the of
riage licenses constitutes a material part of their
yearly incomes. We think it may be accepted a
fact that those magistrates and their friends will
oppose the passage Of bill that it to become
law would deprive the magistrates Of so much and
give nothing to them of a compensatory nature
It may be- and doubtless is true that the Board
Of Health is handicapped for funds with which to do
its work. We fail TO see the fairness however, of
hapdicappmg the magistrates for funds with which to
live in order supply the Board of Health with
with which do its work That seems to be a phase
Of the situation which Mr.. Ellison has overlooked
There are those who to think that our magis-
trates, by the fee system, obtain handsome returns
from the operations Of their Offices That is a mis-
taken notion We doubt that there is one of the mag
istrates who would not welcome a change from the
fee to the salary system, the salary proposed
at all in keeping with the dignity and the work Of
the office. II the Ellison bill carry with it
that any other equitable compensatory feature, it
doubtless would go to Dover without challenge from
the magistrates AS 1t stands today however, it pre-
sents simply the cod-blooded proposition that the
magistrates, who wholly dependent upon fees
shall have thousands Of dollars Of such fees taken
from them simply because Mr. Ellison has discovered
that the Wilmington Board Of Health needs the
money.
We sympathize with the aim of Mr. Ellison to have
a central bureau for the filing of marriage licenses.
We congratulate him upon his feeling that there
should be less secrecy with respect to licenses
issued Everybody knows that such secrecy has
dallzed community. It seems to US that all that
trouble may be done away with without depriving
the magistrates of substantial parts of their yearly
incomes simple law requiring magistrates to file
in the office of the Board of Health a record of each
marriage license issued, within forty-eight hours of
its issuance under penalty failure to do So will
cure that end Of it. That same law also should COM
pei preacher to file in the office Of the Board Of
Health, the record Of the performance Of a marriage
ceremony within forty-eeht hours OF its performance
Such provision would that phase Of the secret
marriage scandal And, top OF all that the law
should make it the duty Of the secretary of the Board
Of Health to keep daily public records of all marriages
recorded in his Office, and penaze him for refusing
to open those records TO any person who desires to
consult them for private information or for purposes
of publication 1t is part OF the duty of a magis-
trate' preacher or the secretary of the Board of
Health to assist others to scandaze our city and the
laws by keeping marriages or by closing their
marriage records to the public or the newspapers
The inclination to do in the past has been the cause
OF all the trouble. In sense has it been due to
the magistrates getting the marriage license fees and
the Board Of Health failing to get them. Full and
compulsory publicity is the thing needed, and il is
not necessary to deprive magistrates of their fees
in order TO get II.