Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1899 — NORTH BARKLEY. [ARTICLE]

NORTH BARKLEY.

The divorce law now before the legislature provides that one year must elapse between the 61ing of the application and the granting of the hearing of the case, and prohibits the divorced parties marrying again inside of two years, except in the case of the innocent party, when a divorce has been granted for adultery. In our judgement this proposed bill is altogether too drastic and will cause more immorality than it cures. When married people can’t and won’t live together there is no law on earth that can compel them to, and to make divorcing a very long and difficult operation is simply to encourage people in such circumstance to form other relations and dispense with the divorce and second marriage altogether. Compare the statistics of illegitimate births in countries where divorce is very difficult or not to be had at all, with the same in this country, and it will be seen that there are worse evils than easy divorce laws. Our divorce. laws should be amended, and especially in respect to requiring stronger proof before granting tU~ c- the grounds of cruelty, failure to provide &c., and also to guard against collusion on the part of the married parties, who sometimes, no doubt, conspire together to make up a case for divorce. And we suspect that it would be better to require jury trials in all divorce cases. Judges are like oilier people, untt they are too easy in granting divorces through feelings of personal friendsir; Such reasons are much less apt to prevail when twelve men try *he case, than where only one tries it.

B. Funk and wife did shopping ,'n Rensselaer Monday. S. B. Hewitt is shipping onions to i afayette this week. Charlie Walker and Joe Davis transacted business in Rensselaer Tkursdav. •/ A. E. Johnson, of Franeesville, called on Lewis Brown one day last week. The taffy pulling at Win. Collins was well attended, and all report a good time. A. S: Bowlus and John Turner were in Lowell Friday looking up a location. The dance at Lon Caterlins Monday night was well attended. The gravel road is not progressing very fast as it is too soft to haul. Four car loads of lumber arrived Friday, at Gifford Station to be used for the erection of store buildings. Lewis Brown has rented a farm near Momence, 111., and will move there in the near future. Telephone poles are being put up along the R. R. this week. The wire is put up as far as Gifford. We too will soon be in communication with the outside world.