Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-04-10
DENOUNCES
RUSH F Or
DEGREES
Would Make Both Parties to
Suits Give Their Side of
Case in Court.

Having heard for four days the
woes of the unhappily mated, Judge
w. D. Ellis squared off and took
vigorous rap at Georgias divorce
laws in short talk he made to the
jury Thursday. at the close Of the
divorce docket for the present term
of court.
Judge Ellis declared that II it lay
In his power he would not do away
with divorce entirely-"because a
gentleman should not be linked for
life with shrew and a virtuous
woman should not be tied to brute"
but he would make divorces harder
to obtain
THE easier it is to obtain a di-
vorce," he said, the more divorces
there will be. The spectacle we have
Just witnessed, OF more than hun
dred persons securing their release
from the matrimonial halter by the
law is fair sample Of what goes
on in this court six times a year At
every term of court I am Inundated
that such a condition Of affairs can
exist, and I do not believe there has
ever been a divorce court Jury that
didn't go away disgusted
Would Make Both Testify.
"My idea, which I incorporated IN
a bill that I tried to get before he
Legislature but which was killed by
some divorce lawyers, is that there
should be no total divorces granted
on the uncorroborated testimony OF
either party. Women come here and
swear that their husbands are brutes,
and year later their husbands come
here and prove by their own testi-
mony that they are refined gentle
ment
There should be no maria es
whiting six months or a year after
divorce has been granted. That
would end a great many Of this di-
vorce-in-th morning and marriage
in the afternoon business
Somebody should be appointed ny
the State to conduct one side OF these
divorce cases. Ninety per cent Of
them are undefended, and men and
women who are called brutes and
worse do not seem to think II neces-
sary to deny the statements. an
told in the country districts OF Geor-
gia 90 per cent Of the divorce cases
are among the negroes. but ! sup
port you have noticed that in Atlanta
80 per cent Of them are whites.
Urges Punishment.
Twenty years ago divorce WAC
rare, and a divorced man or woman
was a conspicuous woman on the
streets The evil has grown SO that
IL now permeates all ranks Of So
ciety, and a, person who has not been
divorced is more Of a rarity than
one who has. And during the trial
OF these seventy cases this week,
there has not been the watt Of an In
FAINT in The courtroom no children
have been here
Judge Ellis declared that the man
who marries 10, IS or II year old
girl and then mistreats or deserts
her. or causes her to become H.
should not merely be made the de-
PENDANT IN divorce action. but
should be tried for a more serious
crime.
Eight cases were disposed Of in .hc
anal session OF the divorce court
Thursday
Mrs Margaret Tuggle was granted
a second divorce from 3 Pinckney
Tuggle. She married Tuggle in 1905,
when she was but l8 years old, be
cause, she said. he threatened to
shoot her II she didn't Her parents
refused to let her live with him and
she got divorce In 1911 she mar
ried TuRRie again. She said her
maiden name was Margaret Bowlcs
and asked that II be restored 10 her.