NEVADA'S DIVORCE MILLS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1634, 28 December 1912, Page 12

NEVADA'S DIVORCE MILLS.

PROPOSED IT/JTBIATXON. Nevoda'a divorce mills, which grind out decrcos all the year round, an threatened, and the Amencan divorce colony in llono is in a utato of great perturbation. Dispatohos from Itono on November 11 stated that Novada is simply tired to death of coarse jokes about divorce, manufactured at their exponim. and they are prepared to support legislation changing the period of residence for aspirants to marital freedom from six months to twelve. Divoroo law specialists, who have fattened upon Nevada s divorce mills, declare that such a law would sound tho death-knell of tho divorce colony, and would imperil tho inalienable right of every free-born citizen to marry as ofton as he likes.

Judge Jones, who presides in the Divorce Court, and who is tho legal chain, pion of a flix months' residence qualification in Reno, has beon defeated in his effort to secure election to the Nevada Senate. The defeat of Judgo Jones is construed us a victory for the party fighting under tho banner of "one husband, ono wife." llr. James Gault, a nitre farmer, almost unknown except as en enemy of tho divorco mills ana the preposterous divorce colony which tettleu in lieno, beat Judge Jones, and a careful, poll of the uen'ly-elected Nevadan legislators shows a majority opposed to the laxity of Nevada's divorce laws. It is known that the six months' qualification has 1m a mere formality hitherto, becawo a New York man or woman desiring a decri>e can qualify by registering in. Reno at soma hotel or boardinghouse and then be absent from Reno until tho case is called for adjudication. The divorco forces, numbering many lawyers, whose foes are largely gleanou from those cases, united to elect a legislature that would keep .its hands off the present law. and Judge Jone3 was selected to go to tho State Senato, where ho could organise the forcoa and prevent adverse legislation passing through that body and going to tho Governor for his approval. Governor Oddie, in his election speeches, asserted that if the opportunity presented itself he would put a stop to the present divorce disgrace. One of the greatest arguments put forth for the abolition of the divorco. colony is the fact that the presence of divorce-seekars is keeping'' out of Nevada the respectable element who would come to the Stato to take up homesteads and engage in fanning and other industries. '