Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-05-10
THE MARRIAGE RECORD LAW.


acted a new marriage record Law
which is quite different from the law
which it displaces in part. The new
forms of marriage licenses are provid-
ed by the state registrar but are to be
issued by the several probate judges.
as heretofore. The new law became
effective A pril %, 1918 The greatest
change is in the recording of the
marriage after the ceremony is per-
formed. Formerly the magistrate or
minister performing the ceremony re-
turned the license to the probate
judge who issued it to be recorded in
his office. Now the return is to be
made to the state registrar to be re-
corded in Topeka. That Is, the new
law requires such return to be made,
but it appears that the legislature
failed to repeal that part of the old
law which required persons perform
ing marriage ceremonies to return
the license to the probate
Judge 1t is not a conflict of
laws, but in a way duplication of
laws and both statutes are mandatory.
All of which puts probate judges,
tive brides and grooms ''up in the
air, so to speak. The difficulty may
be met by issuing licenses in dupli-
cate, thus making or providing for
double record of marriages. But who
is to pay for this extra work. The
groom might be willing to pay for an
extra license (rather than remain a
bachelor) but he would probably OBJ
ject to the plan as class distinction,
or as an extra hazard, a superfiuous
hardship, or robber tariff, more espe-
cialiy as the new law makes him pay
an extra fifty cents registration fee.
After that, if he wants certified
copy of his marriage record he must
send to the state registrar (Which is
French for ''register') for the copy,
and that will cost him, or any person
who wants a copy, another dollar.
Verify, the cost of living (double) is
still on the hike
The new marriage licenses are
works of art. They come in long,
timber booklets, and each makes a
page inches high by 20 inches wide.
The outer half of the page consti-
other half of the page is again divid-
ed into two parts, and perforated to
admit of easy separation. The licence
contains the usual information and
cOnferS the usual authority for the
performance of the ceremony and the
usual blank return certificate or
endorsement" as it is now called,
but the minister or magistrate must
return the license within u hours
after the ceremony. The old law al
lowed him 30 days in which to make
his return, or at least thirty days
after date of issue. The second sec
tion, or perforated slip, contains date
and place of issue, names and ages
of bride and groom, name of parent
consenting in the case OF minors, and
also contains the name and address
of the person who is expected to per-
form the ceremony. The probate
judge must send all these to the state
registrar at the end of each month.
The third section is like the second
and is retained by the probate judge
lit is called a ''stub') and is about all
the judge has after turning over to
County treasurer GIl0 lees WHICH are
TO be collected under the new fee and
salary law which goes into effect
July l. The judge collects from each
victim a registrarrfng fee of fifty
cents which he must send to the
state Frenchman at the end of the
month. Cards and envelopes of spe-
ciai form, with printed address, are
provided for making the various re-
turns. If the judge sells no licenses
during the month he must report the
fact on the card provided (seIf ad-
dressed but not stamped) for that
purpose.
Every license bears a printed num-
ber and its two gingerbread attach
ments are numbered accordingly:
that is, the three sections bear
the same number. If the judge
mutilates, blots, or otherwise spoils
a blank he must send it back to To-
peka-the place from whence it came
The penalty for failure to do so is
$500. That is, the timber booklet
says $500, but the law says 800,
which isn't so bad. 1t seems that
getting married is becoming more and
more like voting under the law which
provides for spoiled ballots If at