Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1905 — ROCKY ROAD TO MATRIMONY. [ARTICLE]

ROCKY ROAD TO MATRIMONY.

The new marriage bill has been signed by the Governor, and will be in force as soon as the laws are published. Applicantsfor marriage license have to walk up to the clerk’s office and give full statistics about themselves. Their name?, parents’ names, birthplace, residence and age*, and whether this is their first, second or what number of marriage rs far back as thev can remember. Records of this shall be kept by the clerk No license shall be issued where either of the parties is an imbecile, epileptic or of unsound mind, nor to any male'person who has been an inmate of a poor asylum within five years unless it is shown that applicant is able to support a family. No license shall be issued when one of the party is afflicted with an incurable or transmissable disease or at the time of the application is under the influence of intox’cating liquor In case a clerk shall* refuse to issue a license he shall oer ify the fact to the Circuit Court and the judge cf that court shall at the earliest practicable time hear evidence on the question of issuing the license and affirm or reverse the decision of the clerk. If a couple to avoid toe provisions of the Indiana law go into another State to be married, it is provided that the marriage.? shall be declared void on their return unless they shall have taken up a bona fide residence in the State where married. Which last provision seems specially devised to make easy the sch ernes of unprincipled libertines who can beguile ignorant and confiding girls into neighboring states marry them there, then bring them back into this state, abandon them and then snap their fingers at the law. No penalty is provided for this act though those who obtain licenses by misrepresentations, can be fined as high as SSOO as so also can anyone who joins in marriage persons whohave not complied with this law.