The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-02-02
WOULD MAKE
EVERY CHILD
LEGITIMATE
Continued from Page One.

ard making the same a matter Of rec
ord
The injustice which in the past has
! been the lot OF the illegitimate child
has Of late come in for more or less
| consideration. Having had no voice az
| TO when and under what circumstances
! he should arrive, he has also been de-
| priVCd Of the parentage and the sup
| port and education accorded to other
children, being deemed an heir of his
| mother only and then not even of her
| heirs lincal or collateral.
I OF late the state has Weakened to the
fact that it has a duty to perform and
| that it has an interest in the future
generation and the welfare of the
children born into the world. The per-
| sonal rights of children are commonly
| recognized as within the guardian care
| Of the state, exercised through the
! legislature and the courts.
Edward T. Waite, judge of the Hen
inepin county court and chairman of
| the Minnesota welfare commission, in
a recent article in The Minnesota Law
| Review says:
ITO every child is due from the
sovereign that claims his allegiance:
First, fair chance to begin life sound
| in mind and body, and with two re-
| Sponsible parents; second, a fair
| chance for development, appropriate to
| his natural capacity, in body, mind and
morals, and third, the greatest prac-
ticable relief from permanent conse-
| quences of his own wrong doing, and
| corrective restraint of his anti-social
| tendencies
Speaking directly with reference to
! illegitimacy he continues:
Our statute as to illegitimacy is
| but slightly humanized of the cruel
common law, so CAREFUL Of inheritance
property and so careless of innocent
and helpless childhood. We safeguard
the county treasury, give slight redress
to the mother. but practically ignore
the child. We allow him but a single
responsible parent, even where pa
ternity is undisputed. Should not the
| state concern itself with establishing
paternity? Should not the father and
! the mother alike be charged with the
care and education of their child to
the full extent, and under the same CO.
erciOn, as in the case of legitimate
child? Does our law of inheritance do
full justice to the child born out Of
wedlock?" w.
House Bill No. 1S1 reads in full as
follows:
Section Livery child is hereby
| declared to be the legitimate child Of
| its natural parents and as such is en-
titled to the support and education
and such other rights and immunities,
to the same extent as if 1t has been
| born in lawful Wedlock. 1t shall in
herit from it's natural parents and
from their kindred heir Iineal and coll
| lateral.
This section shall apply to cases
where the natural father of any such
child is married to one other than the
mother of said child, as we'll as where
! he is single. H..-
| Section 2-The mother of any child
born out of lawful wedlock may with
in three months after the birth there
of, file in the Office of the clerk of the
district court statement in writing
duly verified, naming the father Of
such child, and may within three
years thereafter bring an action in the
district court establishing defendant
to be its father. Any such child may
at any time until one year after reach
ling majority, bring an action in like
manner, regardless of the filing of
such statement. In such cases the par
entage may be proved like any other
fact. Provided, that. a statement in
writing may be ma6A by the parents
1 of said child, admitting the parentage
thereof, and upon which a Judgment
may be entered.
Section 3-This action shall be
deemed cumulative, as to the remedies
contained in Sections 10483 to 100000
inclusive, relating to bastardy pro-
ceedings, but all children hereafter
born in this state shall be deemed to
be legitimate.
Section ALL acts and parts of acts
in conflict herewith are hereby re-
lpealed.