Evening star., 1914-02-04
j. s. CONSTITUTION
MAY BAN DIVORCE
Senator RanSdeA Proposes
Amendment to Prevent
Remarriages.
URGES PLAN IN SENATE
AS GREAT NATIONAL NEED
Presents Figures to Show Astonish-
ing Growth of Evil In This
Country.

CUuuuy
Prohibition Of absolute divorce. with the
privilege Of reTnarriaSe. is provided in
resolution proposing constitutional
amendment. offered in the Senate today
by Senator Ransdeil of Louisiana
Legal separation. without permission to
rernarry however, is permitted under the
proposed amendment to the Constitution
The resolution offered by Senator Rams
dell proposes to insert the following pro-
visions in the United States Constitu-
ton:
Section / Absolute divorce with the
right to remarry shall not be permitted
in the United States. or In any place
within their jurisdiction.
Uniform laws in regard 10 marriage,
and to separation from bed and board
without permission to remarry. snail be
enacted for the United States and all
places subject TO them.
Section . Congress shall have power
10 enforce this article by appropriate leg
islation.
Growth of Divorce Evil.
Declaring that the divorce evil has
grown to such vast proportions In the
United States that only the most drastic
remedy, constitutional prohibition. can
prove effective, Senator Ransdell ad-
dressed the Senate in favor Of his amend
nient. He said:
Practically every one who has giTen
the subject the slightest study admits
that divorce is one of the most serious
problems confronting our republic.
In the United States divorce is
spreading with alarming rapidity. 1t has
per1neated every walk of life. and IS
prevalent among every class OF people
The total number of divorces granted In
1ion Forty years later. in 1906 there
were 12.oS2 divorces, or Sd per 106.-
O0o. Thus in actual numbers there were
more than seven times as many d.
vorces granted in 1906. as in 1867. or al
lowing for the increased population. di-
vorce had increased S1e per cent To
put it in another way. in 1857 there was
one divorce for every 1866 people. while
in 1906 there was one for every 1.i6e.
IF divorces multiply at the same rate
in the future as in the past-and there is
every indication that they will Increase
faster-then before the middle OF this
century we will have annually in the
United States o75 divorces per 100000
population. or one divorce for every fve
marriages. In 1857 there was one di-
vorce for every seventeen marriages; in
1906 one for every twelve marriages. and
at the same rate We will have in 1916
the appalling figure of one divorce for
every tlVe marriages
swiss Closest Competitors.
.-Our closest competitors in Europe are
Switzerland. with forty-one divorces an
nually per 10000 population; Hungary.
with thirty-five, and France. with thirty
three. according to the statistics for 1910
and 1911, while Japan has 215 divorces
to our 50.
txe a SYpfkinp
during 1901 the total number of divorces
granted in the United States was more
than twice as great as in all the rest of
Christendom combined; yes. actually more
than two times as many divorces among
100000 Americans that year as among
the 10000 600 souls of Europe and other
Christian countries.
England stands in bold contrast with
this country. In 1911 she granted a total
of only SO divorces, or IL per 10000.
while in 1906 the United States allowed
z2O62 divorces, or So per 100000. During
the twenty years ending with 1906, Ire
land had only nineteen divorces, or an
average of less than one absolute divorce
z.5oo.ooo. :
IF the United States were to write in
the Constitution an amendment prohib
iting absolute divorce, it would not be
taking such radical step as might at
first be thought, but would be following
a beaten path
..Our own state of South Carolina-alI
honor TO her-forbids divorce. 1t is alb
soiutely prohibited in Italy, Spain, and to
two-thirds OF the population of Austria
Hungary, while the Latin-American coun-
tries of Mexico. Argentine Republic,
Brazil, Peru, Chile and others have siIni-
lar laws A legal separation, however,
without the right to remarry, is reccg-
nized In all of these Jurisdictions. In
Canada the important provinces of Que
bee, Ontario, Newfoundland and the
northwest territories have no divorce
laws. though divorce may be obtained in
exceptional cases by special act of the
"a period of forty-t~o years-these PROV
tDces had only 40 absolute divorces
Undermines the Home.
1T cannot he gi.insaid that divorce de-
sroys the home. And the home is the
base and foundation of the state; hence
we must stop divorce or ruin the state
which cannot continue to exist If its base
IS allowed to crunble and fall.
While many excellent people are di-
vorced and some of them make new
homes. the inevitable trend of divorce is
10 break up many more homes than it
builds up, and 10 materially reduce the
number Of children. When marriage is
dissolved the true home ceases to exist;
The parents and children are separated
and the sweet ties that bind father and
mother TO their offspring and to each
other are broken forever
II appeal To all patriotic citizens-2ood
men OF every creed and of no creed-to
nnlte III urgiHg the adoption of my
amendment. which has for its object the
preservation Of the home, aye, the pres
erration Of the repubIIc-home which
gave US our earliest and best lessons in
morality, home. where We were taught
10 love, honor and obey our parents and
all lawful superiors; home, where We re-
ceived our first idea of government, a
little state in which our fond parents
were the rulers and we, their children.
were willing subjects; home. the greatest
protection from anarchy. the stronges,
defense against socialism and the chief
bulWark OF society; homo. the maker OF
good citizens and the InoGel which
evtry wise government is founded" "
PROVIDES USE OF SCHOOLS.