Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 176, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1915 — Matrimony to Be Absolutely Free in New York [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Matrimony to Be Absolutely Free in New York

NEW YORK. —New York's three famous cupids have been removed from office for grafting while making the road to matrimony easy. In this city aldermen are not permitted to charge a fee for performing mar-

riages and, so far as the outside public knew, matrimony was at least one thing that could be had in New York city free. As a matter of fact, weddings in the municipal building performed by aldermen netted the socalled wedding trust about $lB a day. This was taken from those unfamiliar with the laws of the state. After securing, free of charge, a license to wed, couples were piloted from the office of the city clerk to

the marriage bureau, where an aiderman could usually be found to legalize the union. For simply directing couples from one room to another the members of the wedding trust demanded and usually received fees for their services. The commissioner of accounts, who conducted the investigation, reported the condition disclosed as intolerable and recommended the removal from the building of the three active agents of Cupid. The commissioner found that the fees were paid usually by those who believed payment was compulsory and that immigrants were principally the ones upon whom extortion was practiced. It was not intimated that the marrying alderman profited from the grafting upon the unsuspecting bridegrooms, which was a surprising revelation to those who have met and known a New York city alderman. In future, matrimony, as well as salvation, is to be absolutely free in New York. All else must be paid for at current rates.