The Washington times., 1922-04-24
RIGID DIVORCE
LIMIT SOUGHT
BY US. WOMEN
Uniform Laws for Marriage
and Separation Aim Of Bal
timore Convention.
BY MILDRED NORRIS.
International News Service.

BY MILDRED NORRIS.
International News Service.
BALTIMORE. April 24.-Cupid's 8
activities will be regulated and
"divorce-easy" colonies put out OF
business II the League of Women
Voters has it's way.
Uniform marriage and divorce
laws aimed to sound the death knell
for Gretna Greens and for divorce
colonies like Reno are recommended
In q report to be presented to the
third annual convention of the league
which formally opens here tomor-
row.
Equal alimony rights" for men
were advocated today In an interview
by Catherine Waugh McCullocn.
well known woman lawyer of Chi
cago, chairman OF the committee
which will submit the report.
VIII Make 1t Law.
"If man marries n wealthy
woman and she encourages him to
believe that he will have an interest
in her property. he should be given
the right to claim alimony IN case
of a divorce" said Mrs. McCulloch.
ALSO, IL the woman has money, he
should have the same alimony
rights as a woman under the Law II
he is incapacitated or old"
According to league LADDERS, the
report of Mrs. McCulloch'J commit
tee will be adopted and a drive
started by the organization, which
represents approximately 100000
women voters. to put the recommen-
dations on the statute BOOKS OF every
State.
Health certificates would be re-
quired in each State from every
couple applying for a marriage IL
cense, If the laws proposed are
adopted.
Elopers would have their i'm
patience checked by a provision de-
manding a five or ten days notice
of intention to marry before a mar
riage license was granted.
Limit Divorce Grounds.
Four grounds for divorce are
recommended in the report-adul-
terry, drunkenness, desertion and ex-
treme cruelty. The aim is to make
these and whatever others may be
added the universal grounds for d.
vorce in the United States through
uniformity of State laws.
A person divorced In one State
could not, under the divorce laws
proposed, evade the law in his own
State by marrying again in another.
This would be prohibited by a pro-
vision requiring Divorces who
planned to remarry to wait until
DEGREES had become effective in the
States which granted them.
Eighteen years would be the
medium age for marriage for women
in each State and twenty-one for
men. according to the program.
The abolition of common law
marriage is recommended.
What we need in the United
States is a more serious view Of
marriage" said Mrs. McCulloch,
discussing the program.
with this State having one law
and that State another, we permit
what amounts to polygamy and
polyandry. The ink in a divorced
decree is hardly dry when a man
or woman tired Of one mate runs
to a State with lax divorce and
marriage laws to marry another.
1T is ridiculous that the forty
eight States should have different
laws on the subject of marriage
and divorce. Divorce colonies like
Reno are a national disgrace. Men
and women who do not respect
marriage should be compelled to by
law.
Good health Is requisite for
happy marriage.
Joint Property Right.
I'VE also recommend Joint guard
ianship over children and Joint
property rights for husband and
wife. With good health in the
home and rights over children and
property equal. much OF the trouble
that now makes for divorces will
be removed.
"Hasty marriages make business
for the divorce courts. To require
five or ten days notice of intention
to marry would give young people
time to think It over and in many
cases there would be change OF
mind"