Evening journal., 1919-12-29

W The child born out of wedock?
What responsibility has the State toward hima
What method exists OF placing part OF the burden Of
his support and education upon the falherf
Can the child inherit property from either his father OF
his molher9
Has he right to his fathers name9
Does the subsequent marriage OF his parents make him
legitimate in the eyes OF the law2
These and many other questions about the legal obl-
cations parents OF the State children born out
OF wedlook answered IN bulletin entitled "Iegltl-
macy In the United States and Certain Foreign
tries" issued by the Chldrens Bureau Of the United
States Department Of Labor
The English common law in some respects still un-
altered in England and in parts Of the United States,
CARDS the child born out OF wedock tho child Of no
one"
lie bears legal relationship to his mother, and
the subsequent marriage OF his parents not legitimate
him
Many OF our States have altered the common law by
statutes more favorable to the shd.
one OF the most radical departures found in the North
Dakota law Of 1911 which declares every child the leg
mate child OF his natural parents but which weakens
this broad provision by the failure TO provide adequate
administrative machinery
Minnesota in 1917 passed a law which aims to secure
for children born out OF wedock he nearest approxma
the care support education that they would
be entitled to receive II born OF lawful marriage
The State board Of control Is made the chds official
guardan this board may bring complaint in illegmacy
proceedings and that the chllds interests
safeguarded
Provisions adopted in Virginia early as i7e5
whereby the OF certain annued marriages could be
made legitimate and whereby subsequent marriage could
legitimate ISSUE and the child could inherit from the
mother
These provisions are not even yet universal in this
country.
Four States have no provision for egtlmation by sub
sequent marriage and many limitations are placed upon
the right OF children of annued void marriages to be
considered legitimate.
Attention is called in this report to the fact that our
legal provisions for the support Of the child born out OF
wedlock are nadequatc-the payments prescribed are
often too low and in most Of the States The period Of
support brief sometimes reaching only 60 the chds
10th 18th year.
In State only single payment Of $50 is required;
in another 500 distributed three years is required
The two liberal States have allowances that ioai
in one case So $50 for the first IS years of the chds fe
and in the other $3.50 for the rs eleven years Of The
chd's life
The report suggests that legitnacy legislation in the
United States might be improved by uniform provision
for The establishment Of legitimacy; the legitimation oi
children null subsequent marriages; possibility OF
adoption by the father declaration that the relation
OF mother and child Is the whether the child is
legitimate or not.
In addition TO a critical analysis Of illegtmacy legsa
ton in this country the report contains analysis Of
certain phases OF the various State laws in tabular FORM
The complete text Of all the State laws the iegtmacy
provisions OF the Codes France Germany and Swtzer
land and reference index to the U. s iegmacy laws