Kansas

When the U.S. Deputy Marshall arrived in the small town of Valley Falls, Kansas, to arrest the staff of Lucifer, the co-editor, E.C. Walker, was nowhere to be found. He was already lodged in the Oskaloosa County Jail in the cell next to Lillian Harman, Moses Harman's 16-year-old daughter. The couple had been imprisoned for their non-state, non-church marriage of September 1886 ... In March 1887, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld this decision. In a contradictory ruling, the court held that the common-law marriage was legal but nevertheless punishable for violation of the marriage license statute.

Even brand-new think tanks are playing a role: The Kansas Public Policy Institute was just founded in 1996, but is already taking on an issue of national significance, said President Bob L. Corkins. "Our major project involves reforming the $8 billion state and local government pension system into a 401k-style retirement program," he said. "Not only is it an enormous state issue; as Kansas and other states succeed in this effort, we set the example for Congress to follow in reforming Social Security.