Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-02-18

MEASURE
IN
Need Of Restrictions to Stamp Out Venereal Dis
ease Is Urged by Medical Men-Reform Is
One to Be Effected at Fireside, Says Mr.. Black
of Burlington.

Montpelier, Feb. 1.-THE discussion OF
the eugenic marriage law in the House
sitting as a committee of the whole &C.
cupled the attention OF the legislators
and a full gallery of spectators this
afternoon. and the House for the first
time in the session failed to complete
its calendar.
The revelations of DIR. II. y. Holton
Of the State board of health. DR.. Mayo,
representative of Mortified, Speaker
Weeks and others as to terrible condi-
tiouS arising from v%encreal diseases
aroused tho House. As a result n, 259,
Which formerly had been considered UNI
faNorahlY or not ut all, has a fair nance
Of passing as n practical method to
relieve TIN State from the transmissible
effects II this scourge.
House bill 80 requires both Of the
parties contracting a marriage to obtain
n doctors certificate showing that they
are free from all transmissible disease.
and prohibits n town clerk from grant
Ing \ marriage license to those not
furnishing such n doctors certificate. 1t
also provides that a couple marrying
outside the State with intent to escape
the provisions of this law and returning
to Vermont rs residents will not he CON
sidcred as legally married in this state
The bill was drawn by laynen and Is
admitted to nave defects. Amendments
will he proposed making the doctors ex-
animation and certificate obligatory only
upon the male contracting party, and
making the certificate cover only
"Venereal" instead Of all transmissible"
diseases. The bill came in from judiciary
committee with an unfavorable majority
report. but It's friends had it made Il
special order for this afternoon at ESQ
o'clock so that much formati could
be presented or the bill and its i'm
portancc impressed upon the members.
The discussion of the bill was free and
frank. Many women We're present.
ALARMING INCREASE IN DIVORCES
In order to give the House a chance
to hear DIR. Holton of Brattleboro on
the subject the House went into a COM
mittee on the whole on motion Of Mr..
Moore OF Ludlow. Ior. Holton told Of
the unhappy marriages and diseased
children which had resulted from
venereal diseases previously contracted
by the husbands. From his record of
vital statistics In Vermont he noted an
alarming Increase IN divorces. At first
there was one divorce to 20 marriages;
nov in Vermont there is one divorce
to every eight marriages..
Nenereal disease is responsible for a
large share of this unhappiness, he said.
a husband transmits 1t to the wife In
~Varlab'y, and tho children are often
incurablY affected. Syphilitic children
have l.scnsed skln and glands; the whole
S if affected. and especially the
~ l... NJ ,-.lt.
, a.. ~,mmunicated sometimes to the
th.id and fourth generation. There
should be some way of preventing dis
cased persons ~om marrying. He noted
the great Increase IN number of feeble
minded children and the need of an in
s~titutior for their care.
In answer To questions DR.. Holton
said that the necessary test for venereal
diseases. the WaSsormar blood test, re-
J quired consideranu. apparatus and the
expense Of q few dollars to the State
| laboratory. The disease Is more seri-
GUS than smallpox, and the rumher of
cases in the State is legion"
BILL Is ATTACKED.
a Mr.. Graham OF Rockingham attacked
, the bill In whole and part by part ex-
a planning the reasons of the judiciary COM
| mittee for their unfavorable report. He
took the grounds that under the coIsti-
tuition, every man mas an inalienable
, right to marry. The expense Of the doc
tors fee and the decision Of town clerks
were defects.
, Mr.. Morse of Hardwick said that he
, recognized thu alienable right of fit men
to marry. DR.. Mayo ot Mortified eX-
pressed himself feelinglY on the hill
=, ity of the measure NO business more
potent, more farreaching, could come be-
-, fore US" he said, The awfulness of
syphilis can no. be overestiInated No
tissue of the body but il affected and
. weakened. The browning hope of my
professional life ia that I may see some
;. means taken TO reduce this most damna-
hle scourre." He told of parents who are
more and more refusing to allow their
daughters to innate with damage goods.
=. In reply 10 the objection that the doctors
certificate was a profaning influence he
cited the prevalence of life insurance poll,
cies in nearly every home. and asked II
the medical examinations for these pro,
famed the household. If il H. important
. in q civil contract with dollars at stake
To know whether a contracting party ha.
had n venereal disease. how much mo-
important in the marriage contract,
said.
Mr., Eaton, who introduced the
: asked for a charitable rather than b..
: criticism of the bill. Mr., Moore of LGi
low believed that II wds the inalienabl,
right of children to he born sound. IN,
one" he said, 'dcnies tho presence OF
venercal disease i'm our borders. No OBJ
iector has any better proposal to offer