Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-27


@ oMEwHERE within hundred miles
of the Borough Of Manhattan there
is drawn line-invisible but real
3. which separates the State Of Connect
cut from the State of New York.
There may exist-perhaps there does
exist-somewhere along that line situa-
ton apparently unusual, apparently
unique, Actually 1t is not unusual, not
unique. But to the lay mind It is situa.
ton the strangest of the strange.
Mrs. Cadwalader, well say (the name is
entirely fctitious), is virtuous, matron.
ly' respectable and highly domestic
young woman. She is married to young
Cadwalader. They have two children, who
are gradually entering their teens. They
live, let US assume, in the State of Con.
necticut, within a mile OF that unseen
border line that separates them from
New York.
They have friends in the State of Con.
necticut, close friends, intimate friends,
VINO know their whole history, who rec
ognize them as husband and wife, and as
the legitimate mother and father of two
The State Of Connecticut, too. knows
the history of this young couple, and
that State, also, recognizes in them
comedies to them all the virtues. But
their friends are not confined to citizens
or the State of Connecticut Across the
border line, over in tho State of New
York, they have other friends. They in
vite these friends to their home in Con-
necticut, and these friends come. When
these New York friends in turn invite
the Cadwaladers TO New York, a mile or
two away, the situation changes as in the
twtnkltng OF an eve. The instant that
the family steps across the border line
the status OF every Cadwalader undergoes
an unseen change. But change that IL
wofully and terribly real.
Among their friends on the New York
side, who entertain them frequently, "a
a young member of the bar who knows
what's what. The first time the Cadwala-
ders visited his wife he said to her with
solemn POPULARITY, after they had gone,
that she had been entertaining very
shady people.
"Cadwalader and his wife, you know"
he told his wife, "are not married. She
is bigamist and their children are
His wife stopped him there with hor-
riied expression.
you may as we'll understand now" he
continued, "as at any time that when you
invite the Cadawalders to this house
there is a huge blot on their escutcheon
IA terrible stigma rests upon their
name. l repeat that when Mrs. Cadwala-
der comes here she is a bigamist Cad
walader is no better-he is no husband of
hers, because he was never legally mar
ried to her; and therefore the children
can't be called little Cadwaladers at all.
BY the way" he added, II like Cadwala-
der. Let's go over there tomorrow
night"
But" she protests. you Just said
"Ah," he returns, when they visit US
what | said obtains, but when we visit
them Mrs. Cadwalader is Mrs. Cadwal-
ader indeed; Cadwalader then becomes
her legal husband and their children are
legitimate, to say the least"
Il fail to understand" persists this
lawyers wife. Il know she divorced her
first husband. but that made her free. II
she were free she had a right to marry"
ut made her Free" comedies this men,
Der of the bar, "but free in Connecticut
only-free in the State where she got
her divorce-not free In New York. Two
niles from here Cadwalader and his wife
are q respectable married couple. Two
hours ago when they sat at your ma
hogany they were nothing of the sort"
But why3" his wife repeats. II can't
understand"
The state OF mind OF the young wife
OF this young counsellor-at-law is the
state of mind of the public at large,
whenever the public at large finds itself
confronted with situation OF this sort.
And yet situation of this sort must nee
essAriiy exist In a very large proportion
OF the cases where remarriage follows a
divorce. II is not too much to say that
this remark applies almost generally to
every uncontested divorce obtained, Wen
say, at Reno, where the defendant failed
20 put IN an appearance either person
ally or by attorney.
rhare 10 no doubt about the law.
eVSTy lawyer understands the situation.
Tue law - settled law. There Is nothing
he~ or mysisrious about its application.
ana II 10 True al thousands OF cases to-
AHy that husbands ana wives who are le-
sal husband ana wives In one State OF
In- Uninn are quite another thing in
Oth-r StAiaA
From TINE 20 time newspapers agitate
'nB subject COURTS always ag1tste Il.
%ith'R the last few years the President
% the United States has appointed a al.
Sorce commission. known as the National
Divorce Commission, 10 correct, II pos
sibla. . situation that becomes more
Srave--not TO say appalling-as the years
30 On
In the nrst place, let Il be repeated,
that there 10 no doubt about the law.
- u Cdla two fyDicAl CASA.