The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-03
SENATOR RAPS
DIVORCELAWS
Ransden, Of Louisiana, Ad-
dresses Law Club Of Cath
oic University.
FIGURES ARE GIVEN
Young Attorneys Urged Not to Take
Divorce Case. When Ad-
mitted to Bar.

Divorce was vigorously condemned by
Senator Joseph E. Ransdell OF Louisiana
in a speech made last night before the
Law Club of the Catholic University, and
the members OF the cruz were aovisco
against accepting divorce cases on then
entering the practice OF law.
Senator Ransdell said that with the
exception OF Japan, the United State
now has the highest divorce rate of any
country, the records showing that one
marriage out OF every twelve IS dis
solved by divorce.
The Louisiana Senator said that this
rate is constantly on the increase, and
that il something was not done to stem
the tide the rate would be one In nve
in the next forty years.
He told of the laws regarding separa-
ton in other countries, and quoted tig-
ures to show their effect. He said that
In five years of the last census period
only one divorce per l0o,0oo had been
granted in ireland, and said that the
Catholic Church was a strong lnf1uence
In preventing widespread separation.
Senator RansdeIi also condemned the
practice of members OF Congress engag-
ing in the practice of law, saying that
no man could attend TO legislative duties
and those Of the practice OF law at the
same time. He advocated an act OF
Congress forbidding such pracuce ny
members or the national Assembly. SEN
ator Ransdell said, in part:
Increase in America.
At the last census period the divorce
rate was higher with us than in any
foreign country except Japan, there be-
ing seventy-three divorces for every 10O,-
600 souls in the United States and pa in
Japan. The next highest was Switzer-
land, with thirty-two, and Saxony. with
twenty-nine Austria permits divorce to
its non-Catholic citizens, and denies ii
to the Catholics. Its ratio was one as
compared with our seventy-three. The
island of saints'-old Ireland-granted
only one divorce per 100000 in five years
of the last period. Italy had none, as
divorce with permission TO remarry is
prohibited there, though separation is
permitted. Absolute divorce is also pro-
hibited in Spain. Portugal, Mexico, Ar
gentina, Brazil, Bolivia. Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and
Cuba
Divorce is growing rapidly in the
United States. In. the twenty-year pc
Rod from 1887 to 1906 the number of
marriages dissolved was 945,625, while
from 1867 to 1856 it was 32S, 716, or lit
tie more than one-third. Discussing
these figures of 1856, Mr.. Carroll d.
Wright. an eminent non-Catholic official,
said: However great and growing be the
number of divorces in the United States,
it is an incontestible fact that it would
be still greater were il not for the wide
spread influence of the Catholic Church.
In 1857 there were 4S3.069 marriages and
q ,91a divorces, little more than one
divorce for every seventeen marriages.
In 1906 marriages numbered $3.50 and
divorces 72.o69 or one divorce in every
twelve marriages This is fearful rate
of increase. If il continues in like pro-
portion for the next forty years the mid
die of the present century will see one
marriage out of every five dissolved by
divorce"