Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-04-24
UNIF0RMLAW
OF MARRIAGE
ISADVOCATED
Women Voters League Urges
Uniform Marriage and d.
vorce Laws, Cleanup in
Politics, Efficient Teachers

BUFFALO, April 24.-Unisorm mar
age and divorce laws. political cleanups
By women. more efficient school teach
ers, cooperative housing and protpctio
Of young Americans abroad were urged
by various speakers today at a confer
elce IN connection with the annual con-
vention Of the National League Of Wo-
men Voters.
An amendment TO the federal consti-
tuition in order 10 codfy marriage and
divorce laws was advocated by Miss Ma
rion Gri fin Of Memphis, Tenn. before
the uniform laws committee She cited
- varieties Of marriage and divorce
laws in the - states and the District of
Columbia and said they were undermine
ing the American home and family and
leading toward final breaking up Of the
states. In 1910. she said, one marriage
IN ten was broken BY divorce, in 1929.
one in six.
The evil Of many MARI age laws is
apparent from the great numter o.
states in which there is no minimum age
law" she said. In some states neither
good health nor mental fitness, nor fl
nancia independence In any degree is
required; nor y intermarriage between
whites and persons Of color prohibited:
nor between relatives Of the same de-
gree as first cousins only four states
disqualify paupers and only three
drum kards.
Reasons .or divorce differ more
widely from New Hampshire with IA
causes for divorce. ard Oregon and
Washington. with divorce for any caus.
the court deems sufficient. to New York.
with only one cause. and South Caro-
lima with none"
Miss Elizabeth J. Hauser, OF Girard.
Ohio, told the education in government
and politics conference that I'VE can
scarcely fail 70 note the extraordinary
ne "A tor house cleaning this spring"
IL will Ne a great day for this coun-
try" she said. "whe nthe women voters.
conscious Of their might. undertake
political cleanup with the same vigor
that characterized their house cleaning
at home"
The education conference was told by
Dr. Fletcher Harper Swift Of the Col
lege Of Education. University cf Mime
sofa. that more than five million chill
dren Of school age in the United States
are not in school and that hundreds OF
thousands of those who are might bet
ter be chasing rabbits" than spending
their time under the tutelage of under
paid and inefficient teachers.
Mrs. Agnes Narbase OF New York.
discussed the cooperative movement be-
fore the living costs conference. She
said that If one million homes suddenly
,sere provided in the United States the
PEOPLE Of the country still would not be
well off for shelter. She cited Mi,wau-
kee and New York City as starting
points in the cooperative housing sys-
TEN. New York alone. she said. had more
than 20 genuine cooperative apartment
houses for working mems families. cost
ing from So TO Sl2 per month per room.
International cooperation is necessary
for the protection of Americans. partic-
uarly girls and boys going to foreign
countries for amusement or work. Miss
Grace Abbott. chief Of the children's bu-
reau. United States department Of labor.
told the social hygiene conference. The
United States has gone further in the
development Of a sound public opinion
on social hygiene than N ost nations, she
s.; id. but still has much TO learn.