The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-12-25
MAY NOT NEED CERTIFICATE
Decision of Supreme Court Puts State
Seal of Approval on Marriages by
Contract and in Such Cases Licenses
Are Not Requisite.

Officials Of Kenosha county are busy
today discussing new proposition in
regard to the proposed new marriage
law and they declare that Milwaukee
man has found a plan which will pull
all of the fangs out OF the so-called
Eeugenic1 law. The discovery made
by the Milwaukee man may again open
the way for Kenosha to become the
happy honeymoon ground of the Chi
cago wedding couples. The only trou-
bic is that the blushing bride will not
be able to carry back with her GER
tifcate of the marriage but she will
have the satisfaction Of knowing that
in the eyes Of the state of Wisconsin
she is just as strongly married as she
could be with a medical certificate add
ed to marriage license and a court
dispensation. Judge Randall this morn
ing declared that the statement made
by the Milwaukee attorney was per
fectly good law and that he had made
the same statements to people who had
appealed to him to marry in the past.
The discoverer of this panacea for
brides and bridegrooms is Horace B.
Wamsley, who signs himself as mem
Der Of the bar of the supreme court Of
the United States. lie says:
BY a decision of the supreme court
of Wisconsin, announced on April s,
l913, it has been settled that in this
state man and woman, neither Of
whom is, at the time then married to
another person, may make a valid CON
tract of marriage without any license,
medical examination, priest, clergyman
or magistrate All that is required is
that the two persons shall agree to take
each other as husband and wife and be-
gin to live together in that relation.
This is the law now and will be after
the first of January next and until the
legislature, at some future session, if
they ever do, change it.
No writing is required and no wit
nesses.
Simple Document Sufficient.
1T is prudent however, to have
writing and one substantially in the
following form would be sufficient:
The persons who have signed this
paper on this day take each other for
husband and wife, being then in the
state of Wisconsin, and they begin to
live together as such husband and wife.
"Dated ..............., 191. -
This paper, or some other paper sub
stantiallv like it, should be written out
in two duplicates and both persons
should sign both papers, and one take
one and the other take the other. The
paper does not need any witnesses to
make the marriage legal.
1T either party desires, at any time,
to have record of the paper, as it
may affect real estate, all that is neces-
sary is for such party to get two wit
nesses to put their names on as wit
nesses to his or her signature and then
for such party to acknowledge the pa
per before notary public or a justice
of the peace. After this, the paper is
entitled to record in the office. of the
register of deeds and he will record it
on application and the payment of a
small fee. The notary public will
charge 20 cents for taking the acknowl-
edgment
Nothing Else Required
But the witnesses and the acknowl-
cdgments are necessary only in case
record of the paper is desired, neither
is it necessary to make the marriage
valid and binding in the law This is
all there is to the marriage law OF
Wisconsin today and any two persons
can make the contract in accordance
with this article and nothing further
is required to make the marriage valid
and binding in the state of Wisconsin.
But the agreement must be made some
where in the state of Wisconsin.
Zion City may be regarded as the
paradise of the 'Scrank" but it often
evolves an idea on city management
that could be followed with profit by
other communities. It's solution of the
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