The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-18
GRAF TSFLAYS
little RENO s
SILENT pastors
CONTINUED from First Page)

Continued from First Page)
grounds for divorce litigan<s. are:
Trinity county, California, one mar
rage to 0.S5 divorces; Mons county,
California, one to LOO; Owyhee,
Idaho, one to 1.50; Washoe, New
one to OTIS; Clastrop, Ore. one TO
1.O2: Clackamas, Ore, one to OBJ,
and Columbia, Ore. one marriage TO
every 1.30 divorce.
"As in the Bible parable. heaven
and hell were pictured at opposite
ends of the same lake." said DIR.
Crafts, $50 II is with Alexandra.
the worst place In the East. and
Washington. separated only by a
short and cheap trolley ride. the
separating gulf Is not fixed In
this case, but the moral difference Is
similar.
No Measuring Sorrow Caused.
1--WE have long talked Of gambling
bells, why not call Alexandria d.
vorce hell? There In no measuring
the sin and sorrow It's divorce mill IL
producing through its greed In prof.
teering In divorces.
"As / see IT, there seems to be the
same division between the preachers
and lawyers In Alexandria as there
was in the District when the Reform
Bureau secured the stricter law We
now have.
"At the time we made our fight In
Washington to clean up the awful
divorce mess, undoubtless not as bad
as 1t Is in Alexandria, Judge Bradley
declared from the bench, as he saw
his court thronged day after day by
strangers from other cities: Washing.
ton has become a Mecca for divorces.
I'VE printed that and sent 1t as a
red flag Of danger to lawyers, to
families of Cabinet officers, to men,
bers of Congress and eventually car
ried a law allowing real divorces,
which includes permission to remarry,
only In cases of adultery, and only
to the innocent party. as Christ does.
Church Aided; Bar Opposed.
THE preachers. who. like those OF
Alexandria, had long tolerated the dis.
graceful situation. were reused by the
prophet voice of the Judge and SUP
ported our efforts for the law. while
the District Bar Association gave no
help in getting the law and voted to
ask its repeal.
There could only be one object In
the action of the District lawyers. In
fighting the divorce law; that was di.
vorce profiteering. They profited by
| the divorces, and as a result were not
| interested in seeking more decent
| legislation which would put a curb on
their business and, Of course, mean
| less money to them.
"The action Of the large number OF
Alexandria lawyers In 30 bitterly OPP
| posing the expose may find . s0lutiOn
In the fact that at the present time
that handful Of lawyers over there are
I splitting an estimated SfO0,000 anil,i.
ally rs n result Of their divorce profit
eering.
FROM the attitude Of Little Reno's
divorce profiteers II Is apparent they
will support instead of asking the re-
moval of the judge who has made
American divorce market this side OF
the Wild West.
Counts on Public Opinion.
Notwithstanding the action Of the
Alexandria divorce profiteers as they
ply their trade at the mart. where
divorces can actually be bought for
| a price, there are enough good peo-
pie in Alexandria to stamp out for
ever this insidious practice. Appnr'
| emily the time has come when the
three fearless Alexandria lawyers who
opposed the machine will. like the
| Worthless Of Babylon, be supported
| i'm their commendable efforts.
| 'The remedies are, first, q better
\ marriage and divorce law for Nir
| ginia; second, adoption Of a national
| marriage and divorce amendment tc
] the national Constitution. now pend
| ing, to give Congress power to es
/ tablish a minimum standard OF mar
i riage and divorce for all States; and
/ third, the development of a society
/ law Of good form that would baI
those divorced mot the innocent vic
Victoria did.
Cites Pickfdrd Tour.
when Mary Pickford and Douglas
| Fairbanks, after getting a Nevada
divorce. declared By the Nevada ct
torney general to be not even up &c
Nevada standards, can go and AZ
man and wife, make triumpha
| .our with popular receptions eaua
n Rooseyelt's, Il is evident that net
II pnly legislation, but moral education
If the public is needed on the sacred
ness of marriage and the duties i
imposes. ,.., ...,. l., .,o,sss
he leaping from mate to mate. rs
performers on trapeze, Is q kind o1
hree-ring circus that this country o,
no other civilized country should foi
crate.
at Is made possible by the ror
upt courts and pr0fiteering divorc,
lawyers"
. DR. Crafts recalled the fight made
w the preachers OF Alexandria sew
i raj years ago against the gamblini
vii THE fight must be renewe.
t this time against the divorce evil.
ne declared.
Nexandria and many members OF thu
;. ,hurches sought to repeal the law
rnder which gambling was permitted
n that county, bringing In somt
noney TO the merchants. although
probably carrying out as much In the
'orm of bets. .s
/ Preachers Stirred to Action.
AT the time that fight was started
Tho nreacheIs refused to take any
Individual Nstand in the matter. II