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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1922)
8 BETTER Judge George Bingham, Suggests Remedies for (At tW Salera Commercial Club, dnr Ing tha lamatrr f 1921, Judge Oorga Hincham. af tba rirrait roart. delivered aa addraa on "Dauti Problems, " waka rrralM a prafoand imprrsiion oa thoae wha start it. Jade Bingham ku ronaantat- to prepare part of tata addrras far tba Statesman Mpcrial. where it nay have a wider circulation than merely among the Commercial Club hearers.) THERE Is bo denying the fact that there la a Tait amount of unrest abroad In the land. We see it In business affairs, In social matters, with the young and even in the home surroundings. We are losing respect for the old and the tried, and willing to ex periment with almost any new fangled notion that some theorist may advance. The safe and sano methods which have been tried out In the past are cast aside for new and untried vagaries of a dreamer. Nothing Is too sacred to be tampered with. It has found iti'wsy Into the home and family, where Its Influence' Is detrimental to our national welfare. Ours is a representative govern fluent, where .the will of the masses, whea ascertained, pre . vails. Every individual is. or should be a thinker, and his thought should come from a pure mind. The morals of a community are reflected In the government of which that community is a part. We Judge the future y what has taken place In the past. A lat and Immoral social condition has been the downfall of governments. Prosperity brings luxury and idle ness: Idleness begets licentious ness and moral depravity. When this condition finds its way into v the home the time has arrived to, as far as possible, counteract the Influence. . Thinking people have viewed with alarm the increasing number of divorces, and recognize it an an' evil that, If . unchecked, will lead to serious consequences to our institutions and to civiliza tion. The trouble is not with di vorces but with the cause which leads up to the separations. Home Divorces Inevitable Because parties have made a mistake, there Is no reason why they should be required to live the remainder of their lives under "un happy and unbearable conditions. ' There are Instances where one of the parties Is so unreasonable and vicious that it is Impossible for the other to live In peace and con tentment. There are others where both are so bad that no one could live with them, and where nothing can be done but separate, and they will separate, no matter what their moral scruples may be, or what ever the law. Divorces are prop- ' rr under some circumstances, but there are too many for trivial eauses. ' To correct this we should go back to the cause which pro duced the conditlorU'i- ;.: Marriages we' have always had in one form or another. If we go back to the colonial days,' we find In the Puritan colonies of New England it was performed by both laymen and ministers. fn New York and New Jersey, Dutch col. onies before the English' acquired control, marriage' was ceremoni al affair, while in the southern colonies on account " of r being ; sparsely settled and religious and civil officers not convenient, mar riage by mutual consent, or what is commonly known as common law marriages; .' were common. Now nearly all states require a li cense, and a ceremony to be per formed oy some 'authorized per son.. ' ''' ,'; ': t'i','y- , " Prohibiting Mlsmsttng in other words" the state con siders itself interested In the pro motion of the social welfare, and it has tho right to say who may and. who may not be Joined in wed- . lock. Take Oregon for example: It is unlawful for any white per son to Intermarry with a negro, Chinaman, v or any person haviug n quarter or tnqre negro, Chinese or Kanaka blood, or any person having more than one-half Indian blood." - . In my estimation, the fault Is In the want of proptr appreciation of the duties and obligations of the marriage state, mere ate tome who are' naturallr vicious, and where tuch a one is tied up to a good person, a divorce is the only release from bondage. The "Creat '.majority- are thoughtless and hcedleis. . Tho seriousness of the tej they are about to take In life Is not. appreciated. If we could avoid hasty . marrlagr. and tboso entered Into without proper reflection,- something would be ac complished. " . One or two instances from the , ' record! bf the court will Illustrate the Idea I am endeavoring to con vey. A short time ago a paroled convict answered m matrimonial " advertisement . Inserted by some school girls. A correspondence en sued. .He went to Iowa, persuad ed one of the girls Into a hasty marriage, and returned' to Oregon. When his conduct, was discovered, his parole was revoked and a dl , vorce . followed. Another was a marriage on a data. til AM.sei rcathfal Divorces It ts riot dncolfamon lo find thoa wha are of ta ntvl It m.rriag. turn? on? .B,? ' bht.i..; " "rc 1 ... r. that is t-, Mfortont- f that the taaJow Hft 'ecoU m - " j ears t bet.,. " 0M. f T '"We - v. i m v ka nam - -""CUn Vh.. at. V lllHal. -u.nce; iaw"M "cense a4? 7J nfc or w aonirf "we ' u ,ance of tCr a ni. TOE OREGON STATESMAN. HOMES FOR OREGON Profound Student of Social Problems as They Are Evidenced in the Courts, Social Unrest that is Affecting Every Home-Loving Oregon Man and Woman haste and rep?nt at leisure," that has much truth. We now have a medical exami nation of the male as a condition for the issuance of a marriage li cense, which, as administered, I believe to b an absolute farce. It is a wholesome law which public sentiment should be back of. and evasions should not be tolerated. I know of no greater crime against posterity than the bring ing into the world of children with the inherited sins of the social crimes of a parent. The average citizen, self satisfied with his own immediate surroundings, is ignor ant of or indifferent to this evil. What !ills ttte Asylums I would broaden the examina tion, and include feeble-minded as well. Any physician will tell you that the offspring of two feeble minded persons is sure to inherit their condition. Marriage should not be the means of furnishing re cruits for the state institutions for the mentally weak. There has never fcuen any substitute for marriage, except in Soviet Uuasia, which would make all women common property and children wards of the state. Some esthetic souls have suggested trial marri 13B, bvt the number has been ho limited and the result so unsatis factory as to amount to nothing. When it comes to divorces, every known form and expedient has been experimented with. In the (aarly Roman period, when a wife was displeasing to the hus band, he killed her. As civiliza tion advanced, this was thought to be rather drastic, so the hus band was permitted to sell the wife, as well as his children, or hi) might expel her from his home or send her to her father. When divorces first came Into vogue. If the husband and wife wished to separate, they could do so by mu tual consent. As evidence of the separation the marriage contract might be torn up in the presence of witnesses, or the keys taken from the wlfLj, or. In the presence, of witnesses, the words spoken, "Take your things away." The only penalty was that if the wife were wrongfully put away, she might have her dower returned. Napoleon divorced Josephine without any cause except unfruit fulness. It was said to be by mu tual .consent, but on her part un doubtedly obtained by coercion. China, being about two thousand yjars behind the times, still has divorces oy mutual consent. The parties may enter into a written agreement to that effect, and wMmi U is registered it Is effect ive. Court proceedings are neces sary only' when the parties are unable to agree. 'Xs- ''" lMvbrc Extremists Marriage Deinga' Civil contract, entered into" on permission of the state, we have those who insist that the state' should allow it to be ari nulled as freely as it is en tered into, and on the other hand, those who oppose hi! divorces ex cept; on scriptural grounds. Both extremes should be avoided. The original contract being entered in to' on - the state's1 sanction should not ' be - voided ' excepting on grounds deemed by the state to be sufficient -c "The sacred ' covenant of marriage should not be lightly entered into; neither should It be easily broken? - The constitution of the United States does' not' confer power on congress over ' marriage and di vorce, but leaves that as a welfare- measure to the several states. Consequently there Is no uniform ity in the laws of tho various states. A white person and a Chi naman may not marry in Oregon, but probably may marry in Wash ington and return to Oregon and live in lawful matrimony. The same with reference to divorce. Nonsupport is not a ground for di vorce in Oregon, but it may be in thv state of Washington. One of the parties may go to Washing ton, establish a residence, obtain a divorce, return to Oregon, mar ry again, and live lit lawful wed lock. An effort is being made to have the legislatures of the vari ous states pass a uniform mar riage and divorce law, but section al differences have impeded pro gress along that line.' In Oregon thera are b!x grounds for disiolutioQ of a marriage. anJ It cannot be lawfully done for any other reason. " They are Impoli cy, od"ltery, conviction of a fel ony, habitual gro drunkenness. wilful disertion, and cruel and in human treatment. If divorces are evil, threatening the well being of our Institutions, the question aris es, Can anything be done to lessen them? If the number falling un der It could bt) reduced, substan tial good would result. Desertion Common ("ante It will be observed that four of the six grounds refer to conduct after marriage, and that three re fer to the cob duct of one spouse, and the last and most prevalent 70" nd to acts that may be more or less remedied by judicious ad vice and counsel. Of all the grounds, desertion and cruel and inhuman treatment 'are the most commonly assigned. The most prevalent wse of, desertion is hasty and - Ill-considered mar riages. We bad many examples jot m fnMr.THng tfta World war In SALEM. OREGON new attachment while the hus bands were overseas, and divorce followed, usually on ground of de sertion. Another class' coming un der this head an? young men of no Kxed abode who wander away in search of employment, or for other reasons, and do not return. But little or nothing can be done with a class without moral re sponsibility. "Cruel, Inhuman Treatment" The greater class, and that probably representing more than halt ot the total, falls under the last ground of cruel and inhuman trstmcnt. or personal Indignities rendering life burdenso-ne, and it is with this class where some rem edy may be applied. The term -cruel and inhuman treatment, oi "person-il InJignitics render hit Hfe burdensome." is a very c-la.-tic term, and Is used to cover a multitvde of domestic ills. It is said, however, not to includo unreasonable or imprudent con duit or jealousy unless it evinces a malignant desire to annoy or harass the wife. Cursing the wife, stirking her . while angr. uglert when ill, are come ot the forms of personal lndignillw warranting a separation. In the clerk's office in a com plaint containing this paragraph, "The defendant has a s'irly and morose and vicious disposition and temper, and that she Is often seized with fits of anger, and that during these times she Is spiteful and abusive, and makes remarks to plaintiff too vicious and vile to be herein set otit." Probably If this statement were submitted to the average physician he would say that it Indicated a nervous condition, resulting possibly from overwork, worry, troubles pecul iar to women, and even sedentary habits. An irritable, peevish and generally disagreeable person will wear on the nerves of the best men. Such a condition, however, is one for th.3 doctor and not for a divorce court, excepting as a last resort. Cure the nerves and you will probably have a cure of thv cause. If, before a divorce complaint is filed, the judge or some other person in " authority Ebould be ot the opinion that the cav.se could be removed, and ad vise medical treatment, would it not manifestly better than a separation? Poor Baking an Excnse Another example from a cross- complaint: "The plaintiff was j wasteful and extravagant with the' food supplies of the home, and up on one occasion only a few weeks be tor a plaintiff left defendant's home, plaintiff had mixed a large pan of dough for the baking of bread, but for some reason un known to the defendant, plaintiff did not bake said dough, but threw the whole pan of dough away in a place whera she thought it would be secreted from tbe de fendant." In this particular case the woman was married at about the age of eighteen. Suppose the Court should think that the trou ble arose from ignorance of cook ing or poor housekeeping, might it not be overcome by a domestic science teacher being sent to the home to teach cleanliness, cooking and general housekeeping? In 1921 in Marion county there wera 46 divorces to 449 mar riages, practically one divorce to 10 marriages. If we consider that HJTC7 A PfcsfVlTif A IJilVT LyjLiLilUKJ Close to Salem on R. R. No. 6 t Inspection made by the state food and dairy inspector on January 26, 1921, shows this dairy to be the best in Salem if not in the state. We have the only local dairy whose milk is produced exclusively from its own herd of cows we buy no milk. Protect your baby's health by using our Baby Special Milk. It is unsurpassed. Through the quality of its products this dai.y has more than doubled its output in the last year. We invite your inspection. Our Herd of Sixty Cows are Jersey and Holstein Bred KNOWTHE CONDITIONS SURROUNDING THE DAIRY YOUR MILK COMES FROM. Above ; i ' DelWery Truck and Home of Meadowlawn Milk. on an average there are two chil dren Involved in each divorce, and that half the juvenile delinquents are from families where either the father or mother are dead or liv ing separate by reason of divorce volved in every divorce. brought to bear through fraud The ChiWrcu Tay jor falsehood, has been employed to I realize that children ean be i that end." demoralized by the improper con- Fir. Sumter "Extra" d'-ct of the parents, but it is bet- The Statesman got out an extra, ter to assume that risk than that j on the receipt of the news of Fort they should find homes in reform- Sumter; this, unfortunately, is atories. When It comes to the not preserved. But the next reg disposition of children, the wishes i uiar edition contained the story of the parents nave nine weigni with the court as to what is for their best interests.. The court at temptr. to see to it that they shall not become public charges, .and that thay be reared to become good and useful citizens; and par ents, before they rush into to irt, should bear in mind that they are putting their children upon the al tar oi public welfare, and their wishes in the matter will be of secondary consideration some of the remedies I would suKKest would Lo, avom nasty a.- vorcea as you as you would hasty mar riages, rteqiure me parties i uve upart. and by that I mean entirely away from each other for a period of. say, six months, so that they may know their own minds. Be fore a complaint is filed, have a probation officer endeavor to iron out the differences of the parties. Give time, an opportunity to work reconciliation, and s?e if the par ties have knowledge of the conse quences following a separation. I have long been of the opinion that a wise, discreet and judicious matron of middle age, with a proper comprehension, could be or vast assistance to the cort in solving the matrimdnlal ; differ ences which bring people to court, if such could have an opportunity to impress upon the spouses the doctrine of a square deal, their duty to their children and their d'.'ty to the state, and the conse quences that are liable to follow a revelation of their shortcomings and moral delinquencies; and that it would be worth the effort. LITERARY GIANT (Continued from page C) cratic party of Buchanan and Breckenridge, to stand unswerv ingly, militantly. for the Union. The proposition of a "Pacific Re public." of the faintest shred of disloyalty to the stars and stripes was the signal for an impassioned, holy war that spared neither old friendships, nor politics, nor any thing that might bind men to gether. If Horace Greeley wa3 the mainstay of the government in the East, certainly the Statesman was its armies and its soul and its guiding star in the Northwest. It was a flaming brand kindling the fires of national love and honor a service beyond price, beyond measure. War On All Treason Here is one editorial excerpt: "Pacific Republicans and dis unlonlsts of every stripe and grade, we shall treat as felons and outlaws, regardless of their party pretensions." The Statesman had grown to a 7-column paper, wide column measure, the page considerably larger than the present States man. It had come down to 4 a VV JL-- VV IN ff year? andhTd reached a'circnla- i tion of 2500 copies, twice over journalism have passed away; rcor ithe largest in the state. Here Is poratiOns own the big plants that what it says of itself as it started are beyond the individual power into its eleventh year: jot intimate supervision, and names "The Statesman has denounced S have disappeared from the : edl , all manner of humbug speculation I torial columns, masked or sub ' and all rotten candidates for of-! merged by an impersonal, unident : f ice, and has unmasked preten- i if ied policy." Of the confessedly 1 sion. hypocrisy and personal puff- 'outspoken" journalists of today, ing wherever they have been i most of them serve merely calcu : thrust upon the public. In retalia-i lated ribaldry or drivel, and not a j tion for this, we are opposed with ' clean expression of a state- and a bitterness unknown in the his-! nation-building Instinct. j tory of newspapers here or per-j The early Oregonian. under the i haps anywhere else. Nearly every jname of Harvey W. Scott, was ofi first-class vagabond in the state; the Bush sort: but Scott, too. is! has made a personal canvass of, his neighborhood, to nave some- editors, with the Greeleys, Ben body stop the Statesman. Every fnetts. Danas. who were whole personal consideration, every local i a. nn tirsil nrfimdirc which can in full, as it came across the plains on the pony express ttnd was re layed up to Oregon. It wV yi first time in the Statesman s 1 years history that it ever attempn ed to display a real '"head" ovei a story; and thl9 one wasn't abov two inches long. Xo othr sut waste or good space was coun tenanced during the two remain ing years that Editor Bush hel the paper; they devoted the spac mostly to war news, and thd stories of the mines. There reajly wasn i mucn local news; it was state paper, and as such was im partially negligent of all small locality news. Golden Age of N'ewspaperdom. It is doubtful whether there in America today, just such an up standing, individualistic news paper as was the Statesman while Asahel Bush's name headed its Auto Accesories Our stock of auto accessories is complete in every detail. Complete stock of oils and greases. Eastern and western oils. We do acetylene welding and cutting and other IRA 1 A ID V The Home of Sanitary WlkUX Jl FRIDAY MORNING. J FEl j columns. ! The days of personal dead. These two eminent Oregon armies for the Union in the Civil jtar. made that the golden age ; of virile journalism. As news , papers, however, there are a : thousand today that are good ; where there was one of these mil jitant thinkers 60 years ago; the I news' habit has grown tre mendously, but at the expense of : individuality. Yet it would be a pleasure to meet, just once, one of I these ancient warriors who with ; their virile pens stirred the na tion's heart. But they're all gone! Methods and HealthyCows Mint i the Midas field crop foi (he Salem district. Here is tne Why take Chances With that Cold The nature of Every Long Ailment is to inter fere, with the breathing;. "that's what a cold does." So consult your Chiropractor and pre vent that cold running into seme of the Lung Troubles more serious.' ' For further information and appointment call 87. ' " for and 1 1 j 411 J X Ray ' ii Rubber tires for all makes of Cars, Trucks, and Trailers. Solid and pneumatic truck tires Solid'.- tires pressed on while you wai& Springs, Rims Retail and Parts Wholesale Rims and rim parts for all cars and trucks. Auto and truck springs for all makes. kinds of shop work. CALL Phone 375: 190 South High Street : 4 ' Jt V' V Milk Herd anr4 Modern Concrete Floored Barn at Meadowlawn I Note the Cleanliness , picture shows the modern Bam n; uU moaern Barn, Dairy House, . 1 only plaee-ln-the Unhed-tUati where. the White Mlchein varlet can be grown, giving 15 poul more peppermint oil to tbe & than any other, and of a htglit menthol content, and of a high.' quality, selling at $1.50 a pout premium. Mint crowing In tfc. district doubled last year; t double again this year, and p haps still again next year. ; ' -- , DR.O.LSCQTT S. C Chiropractor 119 U S. Bank Bid. Laboratory Lady Attendants ervoce US WHEN IN TROUBLE Salem, Oregon '4 v - - i