The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-07-08

which the young people of the country
can look, as they grow up, with hops
and veneration, the law should not strir
the agreement which Is its prelude O.
all tenderness, leaving only the bare
bleak elements of a civil contract. 1.
the law is to put its sanction, expressed
In tempting verdicts, upon the shame
less pursuit Of dying old men by vigor
GUS but work weary young women
then the law is going to denude the
contract Of marriage of all sacredness
"Of course, we all understand the
classical case Of disappointed love, ac
companied by prefidious conduct. In
cases where a man and woman Of about
equal age agree to form this life
partnership on a basis of mutual love
and a mutual adjustment of tempera-
ment, and where one of them throws
the other over-in these cases every
one feels that there has been, not only
a breach of contract, but a breach Of
faith from which flows a genuine dam.
age to the person abandoned"
Then you make no distinction he-
tween the man and the woman" |
asked.
"The law makes none" Mr.. Littleton
replied, adding quickly: But, person.
ally, / am so much Of a mans man, so
hostile to the modern program of dis
turbing the old fashioned romantic re-
lations of the sexes, that l cannot
indorse any policy which allows a man
to go whining into court about his
love affairs.
And in the few cases of this kind
that have been brought, the juries 80
far as | have observed their decisions
have adopted the same attitude of dis.
approval. The law gives these men
their rights, but the juries assess their
damages 'Ruzzie Lambs usually get
six-cent verdict.
But there is no question that this
policy Of reducing marriage to the basis
Of a civil contract enables men to 20
into court with breach of promise mar
riage suits. If our feminist sisters, Of
both sexes, continue the present sue.
cessful spread of their propaganda
there is no doubt that we will hear fac
more Of these male complaints and the
Juries will doubtless mete out the same
damages that they would to a com.
planning female.
Weapon for IBlacxmailer
AT the present time, however, the
practical effect of this right of a man
to sue for a breach of promise-aside
from the actions of a few Ruzzie
Lambs - is to put a weapon in the
hand Of the blackmailer. A number of
instances have come under my own
notice of young women of good fami.
lies, who have had clandestine fiirta.
tions with scalawags. letters more or
less amatory have been exchanged, and
these are used as the evidential basis
for a threatened suit. To avoid the noto-
riety the family settled out of court
1t is what the scoundrels reckon on
and their reckoning is seldom wrong.
The same thing may be said of the
great majority Of suits brought by
women. This breach Of promise indus
try is much bigger and more profitable
than most people suppose"
But If a man has the courage to
face notoriety and goes TO court to fight
the matter out, doesn't the jury usually
favor the woman" was asked. The
question voiced the opinion often heard
in general conversation.
"on the contrary. A great percent
age Of cases are thrown out. The rea-
son is that no evidence, or insufficient
evidence is presented TO the jury TO
convince them that a deliberate contract
Of marriage was entered into.
But what constitutes legal evidence
that deliberate contract OF marriage
was entered into? The man who thinks
that he must ask a woman. in so many