East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-03-22
ONE MARRIAGE
IN nine ENDS
With A DIVORCE

WASHINGTON. March 22,-About
one marriage in every nine is termi>
mated by divorce. The number or
marriages In proportion to the popu-
lation has increased since 1880. but
the divorce rate has Increased much
more rapidly The returns for 1916
show 1850 marriages and liz divorces
per 100000 population. These are
some of the more striking features of
a report on marriage and divorce COW
ering the calendar year 1915, which
is soon to be issued by Director Sam
l.. Rogers. of the Bureau of the Gem
sus. department of commerce. This
report was compiled under the SUI
pervlsion of William C. Hunt, chief
statistician for population.
Divorce.
According TO the returns, which
covered 1855 counties out of a total
OF 2ssO---no data being available for
the s5 missing counties--the number
of divorces granted in 1915 was 49,
oSs. or liz per 100000 of population
as against S4 in 1906, T3 in 1909 and
SO in 1890.
| Excluding South Carolina. in which
state all laws permitting divorce We're
repealed in 1878, the lowest three di-
yorce rates in 1916 are shown for the
District of Columbia, North Carolina,
and New York IS. 81 and 80 per
100000 population. respectively;
while the highest three rates are those
| for Nevada. Montana. and Oregon
6o7.323 and 255. respectively. The
divorce rates were higher in 1915
than in 1906 for all the states except
eight-Maine. West Virginia. South
Carolina Gin which there were no d.
vorces in either year,, Alabama, Mis-
sissippi. North Dakota, South Dakota
and Colorado-and the District of Co
lumbia. In 31.I per cent of the cases
the divorce was granted to the hus-
band and in $50 per cent to the wife
The latter percentage compares with
67.5 for 1906 and 66.4 for 1896.
Causes or Divorce.
II The principal causes for divorce
and the percentages contributed by
4 them to the total were: Desertion
/ s6.s per cent; cruelty, 2S.3 per cent
: infideiity, lis per GENT; neglect t'
; provide, Al per cent; drunkenness
3.4 per cent; combinations of pre-
ceding causes. Sc per cent; all othel
causes, 81 per cent. Desertion wa
reported as~the cause of so per cen
of the divorces granted to the nus
band and sos per cent of thos'
granted to- the wife.
I i Children.
!: In only s7.7 per cent of the divorc,
cases were children reported; in So
/ per cent no children were reported
!: and in 10,2 per cent the records con
tanned no data as to children. Chill
!: dren were reported In 27.S per cen
of the cases in which divorces were
granted to husbands; no children il
!: 5S.7 per cent of the cases; and in tn,
remaining 13.5 per cent the records
contained no data, as to children. Th'
corresponding percentages based up
'f1on divorces granted to wives were
42,2 per cent. 1872 per cent, and 81
! per cent. respectively
il Marriages.
4 The report shows, for 2s74 out oi
i 1850 counties-no information beins
available in the case of the 1O6 miss
/ ing counties-1040.77S marriages a.
| having been soiemnized during the
fyear 1915. This number represents
a rate of los per 10000 population
compared with 1O2 for 1906, SO fol
1900 and 81 for 1890. The marriage
rate, therefore. is increasing, al
though not so rapidly as the divorce
rate.
| The marriage rate-i05 per 10000
population. or 1850 per 100,0O0-was
a little more than nine times as grea,
as the divorce rate, 112 per 100000
and it may be said, therefore. that II
the 1916 rate were to continue lin-
changed about 1 marriage in nine
would be terminated. by divorce.
The marriage rates for the various
states show considerable differences,
ranging from 65 per 10000 in oregon
to 176 in Montana The highesttthree
rates-17s. $50 and 149-appear for
Montana. Maryland and Florida. re-
spectively, and the lowest three
1856 and 73-are those for oregon,
North Dakota, and Wisconsin, re-