The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-09-02
W. VA. MARRIAGE BUSINESS
SUFFERS FROM 3-DAY LAW
Branch Offices For Filing Appli-
cations Prove Slight Help
In Attracting Customers

State Gretna Green, its bonanza ended
by West Virginia's new three-day mar
riage law, now pins its hope on an in
novation to circumvent the lava
branch office.
Since the law became effective early
this summer, the marriage mill that
formerly Melted 100000 annually has
lost grist so rapidly that weddings
have dropped from 1000 to 300 each
month.
And, say county authorities, this
may necessitate boost in the Brooke
county tax rate. They pointed out that
other business, too, lost ground when
700 per cent fewer couples went there
to marry.
Mail-Order House
A martial mail-order house" seems
to have kept the business standard in
recent months at near 300, but it has
done little to regain the former opu-
lence of Wellsburg's marrying par
sons and taxi interests.
The decline sent two of the towns
most widely known marrying parsons
to hunt new and less strict locations !;
ten runners" who formerly roamed
the streets in search of brides and
bridegrooms have dwindled to four;
one taxi firm went bankrupt and the
remaining two merged.
One taxi driver became PWA play
ground project superintendent; an
other, John Winski, drives a bakery
truck in the streets he once cruised as
"taxicab Cupid" Among those re-
tanned was Martin Joyent, gray-haired
veteran runner"
Talk of Good Old Days
Those still at work spend most of
their time lounging in front of the
company office in the luxurious, il
somewhat relic sedans parked there
They smoke hand-rolled cigarettes and
reminisce about the good old days.
Ask them how business is and Joyent
will drawl:
"Well, I guess we amt missing any
meals, but we might be postponing
some."
One morning soon after the three
day law went into effect, one of the
marrying parsons found a hammer, g
saw and handful of nails on his
porch. A former carpenter, he denied
the implication of the gift and re.
manned in business. He also denies the
electric lights adjoining the exterior Of
his cottage are intended to illuminate
the signs advertising him as minis.
ter.
Ten Calls Handled Daily
Harry McGlumphy, who manage:
the remaining taxi company, say:
that it handles about only ten email
order marriages" day.
Under this system, the couple con
facts the company, fills out a question
naire and then sits and waits for three
days. The company files the applica
ton with the county clerk and the
license is waiting when the couple ar
rives at the end of the three day limit
This system has one advantage: L
makes Sunday marriages possible
something difficult to arrange, even il
Wellsburg, before the three-day law
Charlotte Calderwood, the count,
clerk, always refused to issue MARI
age licenses on Sunday, but now, will
the application filed ahead of time
she will hand them to the taxi company
Saturday night.
Office Is Established
Business still dwindled and then Nc
Glumphy and the veteran Poyent con
ceived their branch Office idea. They
established the first in Braddock, Pa.
near Pittsburgh, in the Office of justice
of the Peace George H. House. Paint
ed on his front window is sign:
west Virginia marriage license ap
plications furnished here"
"McGlumphy and Joyent up anc
made the proposition" House ex
planned. "My sign has been up a weel
and 1 have made out six applications
All 1 do is notarize the application.
and mail them to McGlumphy."
But, says J. H. Otto, secretary of tn,
Brooke County Taxpayers Associa
ton, it looks to him like loss of in
come from the collapse of the mar
riage market will have to be made u,
by taxes. He predicted an increase o:
cents on each 500 of valuation OF
home property.