Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 98, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1901 — Marriage Licenses Should Be Public. [ARTICLE]

Marriage Licenses Should Be Public.

The officials of the attorney general’s officers have been investigating the manner in which marriage licenses are being issued at Jeffersonville and find there is considerable irregularity- One cf the things mentioned is that of withholding the names, for publication for a time. This is clearly a violation of the law. Attoruey General Taylor says, as the intent of maintaining a marriage record is for the public good in providing information to people who may be interested in seeing that improper unions are not consummated. Probably nearly all county clerks sometimes with-hold licenses from publication, for a few days, but we always doubted if it was a good thing to do as a matter of public policy, and now the attorney says it is actually unlawful.