Evening star., 1954-05-27
Opinions Differ
On Runaway
Fathers Bill
Bockers in Minority
At Hearing on
Proposal for D. c.

PropoSoI tor y. &.
A House District subcommit-
tee today struggled with the
problem of getting runaway
fathers to support their families
without adding cumbersome and
expensive burdens to the courts
here.
Chairman O'Hara Of the House
Judiciary subcommittee, told
witnesses:
I'm very much disturbed by
this increasing problem. We do
have legal. moral, economic and
social problem, but the question
is what is the practical thing
to do?"
The bill under consideration,
which was opposed more than
supported at today's continuation
OF earlier hearings, would provide
a reciprocal system with the
States for fathers to be prose-
cuted wherever they land. The
subcommittee was told that
every State but Nevada and
every territory but the District
now has a reciprocal non-support
law.
Attorney Attacks R;u
Attorney Gene Boardman was
dead set against the bill. He
said the District Bar Association
had not acted on it, but it's
Domestic Relations Committee
last year disapproved the bill
in its entirety.
Mr.. Boardman argued that
wives and mothers already have
legal remedies. that the problem
IS not a shortage Of law but a
shortage of money to enforce
it. that the proposal would re-
suit in years of litigation and
that this was the furthest step
yet taken toward "socialized
law"
Mr.. Boardman cited the case
OF a woman who deserted her
husband in the District to go
TO California with another man
ana was deserted by him there.
once she was stranded in Cali
fornia, he said, she could tell
a yarn to the court and her
guiltless husband could be in
d1cted in California for nom
support. He said all that could
happen under this bill.
Calls Such a Case Extreme.
Cyril Brickfield, assistant
counsel of the House Judiciary
committee, who prepared the
Dill for its sponsor, Representa-
tive McCulloch, Republican. of
OHIO, argued that such a case
was extreme, but Mr.. O'Hara
said he had had a similar one
while practicing in Minnesota.
MIR. O'Hara said the fact of
the vindictive wife and vicious
animosities had to be recognized.
MIR. Brickfield argued that the
Dill would relieve some of the
cumbersomeness of present
procedures and would make it
easier to extradite deserting
fathers.
Assistant United States At
torney Harold Rogers, who
handles the cases of deserting
fathers leaving the District. said
ne gets $500 new complaints a
year, issues about $50 commits
sioner's warrants and gets in
dictments in about As cases. He
said the trouble is in catching
the man, not in getting him to
support his family once caught.
Sees Benefit to States.
The proposed law, he said,
would benefit the States where
fathers have found haven in the
District. The Districts nom
support problem, he said, could
be aided through some amend
mentS to the District code, but
that still would not touch the
fathers who leave their families
in other States and come here.
Generally, he said, he is deal
ing with the lowest strata of
society, adding:
These people don't recognize
their responsibilities, they just
recognize passion. When chill
dren come and the passion goes,
they go. All we can do is to try
to alleviate the problem. Well
never get rid of it,"
Mr.. Rogers was asked what
relief a wife would have whose
husband deserted her here and
she went home to her family in
another State.
Mr.. Rogers replied the other
State could not help her as long
as the man stayed in the Dis
trict. He added that if the hus-
band went to Virginia, the wife
who had gone home to her fam
lily in another State could pro-
ceed against him because Vir-
ginia has the reciprocal nom
support law.
c..l.. A. nls