The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-10
A MARRIAGE LAW
Scott of HOdgeman Has One
Ready.
Requires Doctors Certificate
Before Ceremony.
PROBATE JUDGE MUST SEE 1T
Believed Fee and Salary Bill
Be Defeated.
Because 1t Is Not a Practical
Measure.

Marriage only on presentation OF
health certificates will be possible in
Kansas if a bill to be introduced in the
legislature this week by A. B. Scott,
of Hodgeman county, becomes a law.
The Hodgeman county doctor and
member of the lower house has pre-
pared a new marriage bill which con-
forms in a general way with the new
marriage law in Iowa and he proposes
to shake up in the states matrimonial
system.
In his bill Scott will provide that
before a marriage certificate that they
must visit their family physician and
secure a clean bill of health. Only on
the presentation of such a certificate
to the probate judge will a marriage
license be issued. This health certifi-
cate will then be made a part of the
probate court records. Unless the
physicians certificate shows that both
the prospective bride and bridegroom
are free from dread diseases, a mar
riage license shall be refused. Tuber-
cular subjects especially would be
placed under the marriage ban by
Scotts proposed law.
The form of examination for per-
sons expecting to contract marriage
would be similar in many respects to
that adopted in the examination OF
applicants for life insurance. A fee OF
81 would be allowed the examining
physician, to be paid by the applicant
for marriage license.
Representative Scott believes that
this law would safeguard the state
against the marriage of undesirables
and would lessen the work of the Kan
sas divorce bill. A bill similar to the
one to be offered by the Hodgeman
county member has already been intro
duced in the Iowa legislature and has
passed the lower house.
Hundreds of Kansas public officials
will not sleep we'll until the house dis
poses of the fee and salary bill which
was made a special order for Tuesday
afternoon. Even the war; est friends
of the biIl-men who made the cam
paign on straight salary platform
are not the least bit pleased with the
provisions of the proposed new law.
There is quite a general opinion
among the legislative member that the
bill Matched in the rooms of the COM
mittee on fees and salaries. has work.
ed a decided hardship on the larger
counties of the state if it should be
adopted in it's present shape. One of
the big complaints is in the proposed
allowances for clerk hire. While the
salaries v-hich the committee would
give the county officials is not nearly
as large as some of the officers had
hoped for, yet it is the apparent effort
to economlze on clerk nlre that has
really hurt.
Offices in the larger counties where
clerk hire to the amount of $1,000 to
s.. 900 a year has apparently been alb
solutely necessary, the fee and salary
committee would reduce to $1,000 or ST.
200.
sMy clerks would resign tomorrow
that law went into effect ~
declared a Shawnee county official. 1T
would ruin the office. Fully double the
amount of clerk hire proposed is neces-
sary to run the Office and keep up with
the public business 1 might stand a
reduction in my own salary, but my
clerks wouldn't stay on the job a sin
gle day"
In the smaller counties it is diff
ferent. Much of the work in a ma
iority of the offices is really done by
one man. But in the larger counties
II is different. So the county office
holders are patiently and prayerfully
looking their legislative members to
adjust the trouble and secure more
money under the proposed new law.
And TO please all of the 165 members
of the two houses and pass law that
will meet with the approval of the
men who hold the county jobs, is big
task.
II is probable that many of the Kan
sas officials will come to Topeka Tues
dav and urge their members to fight
for. a charge in the provisions Of the
bill
There will be trouble in the house
when the Carroll bill, ceding back the
government the jurisdiction oS the
Ieavenworth Soldiers home, comes up
for consideration in the committee of
the whole. Carroll's bill merely pro-
bibits the several thousand men at the
home from voting in Leavenworth
county and having their votes tailed
in that district
That is a simple request. But the
big majority of the Leavenworth Sol
diers' home vote is Republican. Car
roll sits with the Democrats. And the
minority members on the north side
of the house want to make use of every
vote in the home. So they are quietly
laying for CarrolPs pet provision with
a brick
some years ago United States Sena-
tor Charles Curtis secured federal
enactment which placed the home un-
der the jurisdiction of the state. II
enabled the old soldiers to vote in
J,eavenworth county and to have their
votes counted there. Since that time
ana long. Then Carroll was sent to
topeka to help fix the Kansas state
ntes. He began bye Offering a bill
which would give back to the govern
,nent the gold brick which The Repub-
iicans handed the Leavenworth county
democrats.
brewster. of Doniphan county, is re-
sponsible for that joker in the Demo-
Gratis Massachusetts ballot law. The
thing which the Democrats really de-
sired was to prevent the negroes and