Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1913 — MANY LEFT ORPHANS [ARTICLE]

MANY LEFT ORPHANS

Judge Declares Chicago Is Worst City for Divorce Frauds. Assert* Decree* Now Granted Would Not Be Asked If Proper Restrictions Were Placed About Marriage and Divorce. 7 Chicago.—“ Chicago la the worst city in the world for fraud and collusion in obtaining divorces. In a single year oar lax divorce laws result in the wrecking of 3,000 homes and in the orphaning of 4,000 children in Cook •county alone. Fifty per cent of the divorces now granted would not even be asked for if proper restrictions were placed about marriage and divorce.”

These made by Judge Marcus Kavanagh, speaking from experience gained in personal hearing of 1,000 divorce cases, made a profound impression upon the other members of the Illinois commission on marriage and divorce. The commission was ‘ considering three tentative bills, one of which it is proposed to select and offer to the legislature for the purpose of ameliorating the evtt. Prof. Ernst Freund of the University of Chicago urged the commission to adopt a bill on the general lines of the one drawn by the conference on uniform laws. The discussion was not one-sided. Senator Juul was not sure that there was Anything wrong with the present laws. “No one has pointed out the fault specifically,” he said. “I want to know what the real trouble is. Of course. I will support any truly progressive bllL But I do not see bow the state will benefit by makfhg two persons live together whose married life has been a failure. The chancellor, 1 should think, ought to be able to look into an unhappy marriage relation and say: This is hell on earth, and I will sever these bonds.’ “ The measures proposed by Professor Freund provide: Marriages of persons coming into or going out of the state to evade Illinois statutes shall be void; affidavits shall give full information regarding 'the parties, and fifteen days shall elapse between application for a license and Ita issuance; the state’s attorney's office shall be a party to divorce proceeding*. Senator Juul objected to the fifteenday clause, saying It would "enable busy-bodies to thrust their noses Into affairs in which they have no business."

But nearly all of the comment was In favor of mors stringent laws. “Persons should be compelled to think before rushing into marriage." said Representative Michael L. Igoe. “Chicago is the worst city In th* United States for fraud In obtaining divorces.” “It’s the worst In the world." corrected Judge Kavanagh.

"1 know that is true," Interjected Senator John E. Madigan. "My own observation has been that at least 60 per cent of the divorces in this county are fraudulent" Charles N. Goodnow urged thatl health certificates should be it “Divorce V » symptom, not a nm* edy," he said.