The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-02-05
AIMS BILL AT
DIVORCE EVIL
Rep. RansdeII Offers Amend
ment to Prohibit Right

Washington, Feb. 5.-DivOrce with
the right To remarry would be prohibit
ed forever in the United States and In
al places under the nations jurisdic-
ton by an amendment to the federal
constitution proposed in the Senate
by Senator Rlnsdell, of Louisiana. En-
actment of uniform marriage laws for
all states and territories, with provis-
ion for separation without permission
to remarry, would be directed by the
amendment.
With the states of the Union grant
ing more than twice as many divorces
as all the rest of Christendom cOmbin-
ed, Senator Ransdell told his coll
| leagues that the time had come for the
| nation itself to put down this menace
to the chief bulwark of society, the
| h"me-the maker of good citizens and
| the model on which every wise govern
| ment is founded
The remedy by constitutional pro-
| hibition is drastic" said the senator.
but the malady is so fatal that Moth
ing short of it will prove etlicacious. In
the United States divorce is spread
ing with alarming rapidity. II has per-
| meated every walk of life, and rs
prevalent among every class of people.
| The total number of divorces granted
| in 1867 was 9931, or - per 100000
population. Forty years later, in 1906,
there were 1902 divorces. or Sc per
| 100000; thus in actual numbers there
were more than times as many di-
vorces granted i'm 1906, as in 1861 or
allowing for the increased population,
divorce had increased 3l9 per cent.
IF divorces multiply at the same
lrate in the future as i'm the past-and
there in every indication that they
will increase fastcr--then before the
middle If this century we will have
Annually in the United States 30 di-
vorces per 100000 population, or one
divorce for every five marriages.
Not Such Radical Step.
IF the United states were To write
in the Constitution an amendment
prohibiting absolute divorce, it would
not be taking such radical step rs
might at first be thought, but would
/ be following a beaten path. our own
state Of South Carolina-all honor 90
her-foI bids divorce II is absolutely
prohibited i'm Italy, Spain and to two
| : I, ri Of of
Hungary, while the Latin American
countries of Mexico, Argentine repub-
! lie, Brazil. Peru Chile and others have
similar laws.
while many excellent people are di-
| vOrced and some of them make new
homes. the inevitable trend of divorce
is To break up many more homes than
ii builds up, and To materially reduce
| the number of children. When mar
riGge is dissolved the true home ceases
to exist: the parents and the children
are separated; and the sweet ties that
bind father and mother to their off
spring. and to each other, are broken
! forever.
AS long as the Romans of old look
ed upon marriage as sacred, and held
the sanctity of the home inviolatc.
! their arms were invulnerable, and
| Rome became mistress of the world.
| Eut with the accumulation of colossal
wealth came great laXity of morals:
marriage became a jest and child
| bearing "A useless burden. The luNuri-
Gus Romans lost all respect for female
chastity; the heroic virtues of their
early years were forgotten, and the
! Empire fell, the victim Of luxury and
disregard for the binding effects Of
marriage.
shall not the United States take
warning from Rumc's example,