Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-02
BY ARTHUR CAPPER
~. S. Senator from Kansas

such state of migratory elopementS,
marriages and fraudulent divorces as
to threaten the very foundations upon which
our Republic was built-the American home.
uniform marriage and divorce law has be-
come one of our greatest social and moral
needs.
The family and the right to hold property
are two of the corner stones of the founda-
tons upon which our present-day civilization
rests Both seriously threatened. Amer
lean evaSions of divorce laws are the subject
of comment and ridicule the world over
Ever since 1871 effort has been made by a
few far-Seeing persons to give Congress con-
troll of marriage and divorce, the first pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution to pro-
vide for a uniform marriage and divorce law
being introduced by Mr.. Ray of New York on
January 8, 1894 Today the women of the
Nation are behind the movement to write a
uniform marriage and divorce law upon our
statute books, and any movement which the
women are Fundamentally supporting is more
than likely to become a whirlwind Of accom-
pliShment
7 WOULD put foremost among the reasons
why we need such law the absolute inn
possibility of ever obtaining uniformity In State
laws by State legislative action. Ever since
1870 period Of SO years-the American Bar
Association has been considering and working
upon some plan for securing through State
legislation uniformity in marriage and divorce
laws There seems to be even less chance Of
getting States to agree on these matters than
there was in getting them to agree on woman
suffrage.
1t is the great divergence in State laws per-
hitting one State to haunt and virtually to
nullify the laws of another, which has increased
the appalling disrespect for law in America
Let us look at some of the things which
happen under the various existing laws to peo-
pie who have every desire to be law-abiding
"A man and woman may be considered legally
married and their children legitimate in one
community. They may move only few miles
away across a State line, and the man be-
comes a bigamist the woman is considered to
be living in adultery and their children under
the law have no right to bear their fathers
name. In case of the death of the father of
such family, think of the complications as
to the property rights of his dependents!
There are two Gretna Greens in Indiana
near the State border which catch those citi-
from neighboring States who wish to
evade the intent of the laws of their own
State. One of these is just across the river
from Louisville, and the other, at Crown Point
Is just outside Chicago survey made by an
Indianapolis newspaper of the marriages which
took place at those two places showed that rs
per cent Of them were Illegal, the licenses be-
ing illegally granted, and that rs per cent of
them had resulted in divorce.
The State of Nebraska has passed law
requiring nOCAct Oc1OAe the issuance OF mar
riage license. The result is that young people
IN Nebraska who wish to evade the law run
over the State line into Kansas Iowa. The
same thing is true in every State which has
made some effort to tighten up its marriage
regulations
The period of residence for divorce in Rhode
Island is two years, but have been told that
peEsonS-w without the knowledge of the court,
of course-rent rooms or an apartment, store
some ClOtl1es there and possibly hire servant,
but never live in the apartment at all. They
.r...- aan..ei.,G-I y. r..rAs,E.a.-.