Evening star., 1947-03-07
CabPer Urges
Federal La1V
On Divorces
By Ruth Dean.


the Nation is justified in extending
lawmaking powers to include mar
riage and divorce, Senator Capper,
Republican, of Kansas declared last
night.
Declaring that interstate traffic
of individuals" who invoke divorce
laws should be as much matter of
Federal control and regulation as
interstate commerce, Senator Cap
per pointed out the confusion which
different divorce laws in the 48
States and the District of Columbia
have brought into the national life.
The Senator spoke at an open
forum meeting at the Mayf1oWer
Hotel conducted by Omicron Chap
ter of Kappa Beta Pi International
Legal Sorority on the subject of
the marriage and divorce laws of
the United States and foreign coun-
tries.
He quoted the resolution he in
troduced in Congress more than a
quarter of a century ago, consti-
tutional amendment that would
permit Congress to enact uniform
marriage and divorce laws. The
speaker said he was aware that the
objections against Federal statutes
governing marriage and divorce
were real and serious"
But the danger to our social
structure from the threatened de-
struction of the family in the United
States seems to me just as serious
just as real, and in my judgment
even more certain" he added.
Referring to the statistics on mar
riages and divorces in 1945 released
by the Federal Security Agency last
September. Senator Capper said,
frankly speaking, the figures are
startling" In 1945 there were L.
618,331 marriages and $4,000 di-
vorces, or a divorce for every three
marriages.
"Are>we going to allow this prob
lem to wreck Our homes, the very
core of civilization and human
progress?" he asked, and added,
Il am convinced it is one of the
greatest dangers confronting the
American people today, and we must
do something about it."
AS far back as 1906 there was
comment and recommendation for
such legislation, Senator Capper
said He referred to the state
ment by President Theodore Roose-
welt in his sixth annual message
to the Congress: THE whole ques-
ton of marriage and divorce should
be relegated to the authority OF
the National Congress there
is nothing so vitally essential tx
the welfare of the Nation, moth.
ing around which the Nation shoule
so bend itself to throw every safe.
guard, as the home life of the aver.
age citizen"
Senator Capper also stressed tht
need for uniform legislation to pro.
tect one of the "cornerstones" O.
our civilization, the recognition O.
the family as a legal and socia
entity" Under present laws, HI
pointed out, q man and his family
may be respected citizens in ont
State, but breakers of the law, de.
prived of their civil rights in another
State.
Society today in the Unitet
States is attempting to live under
49 different and conflicting code
on marriage and divorce, and i
can only make the best of an i'm
possible situation by ignoring tht
laws, which is bad for society ane
bad for the individual the Sena
tor added.
Earlier in the evening three mem.
bers of the legal sorority chapter
discussed the complexity of divorc,
laws not only in this country, bu
aboard. The marriage laws of tht
United States and their origins wer,
discussed by Miss Frances Scarder.
field, while the divorce laws were
described by Mrs. Lillian Harper
The divorce laws of other coun.
tries were discussed by Mrs. Ruth
Hegarty.
Mrs. Katharine P. Crowley wa.
chairman of the Forum Committee
and introduced Senator Capper.