Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1888-05-10
OUR SPECIAL NEW YORK LETTER
The late Roscoe C0ntlng-Pr Presidential minors
Outlook IN Nclc Iork-The C0,uts-The Id
.joAztmenl Jokc-Jgdge Ransom.
New YORK, May :, 1855.

EDITOR OF THE FREE Press
The death of Mr. Conkling removes one OF
the commanding figures in social and profess
sional life if not in the political life of New
York Enforced retirement, either by the con-
ficts of politics or their own disdainful choice
to the more congenial sphere of private orpro-
fessional pursuits. seems to be a common rule
in New York Alexander Hamilton, Silas
Wright, Martin Van Buren,, Samuel J. Tilden,
and now Roscoe Conkling all left the arena
| long before they tasted of death. l heard Mr..
Conkling argue q case few weeks before his
demise There was no diminution either in
his Astounding vitality, superb rhetoric or per-
sonal magnetism. Bat he was cut out for pub
lie life and though he attained high distinc-
ton at the bar it was of less durable charac-
ter than that which he reached in parliament
AIRY life.
The air is full of presidential rumors, but
they are idle Nothing has yet been developed.
The logic of facts points to the denomination
and reelection of Mr. Cleveland, and the poll
ticians now talking for want of occupation will
along in the Summer be hard at work. Mr..
Blaine's withdrawal was the act of wise man.
He has studied the currents Of American his
tory and is quite aware that a second defeat
would ruin him as party leader, and send
him home to sleep with Rip Van Wrinkle Ham
lin. But it may be doubted whether he would
have withdrawn had his old enemy Roscoe
Conkling died a month or two earlier.
Locally the nomination Of 4 Mayor is much
discussed. Mr.. Hewitt doesn't want reelec-
ton. and Sheriff Grant is talked of by Tamma-
ny. \ union Of the County Democracy with
Tammany will take place as a necessity OF the
Presidential year When united the City Dem
ocrats usually pile up majorities which assure
the State and Union to the Democratic party.
Still the chapter of accidents should not 1e
lost sight of in any forecast of the future. In
that direction Gov. Hill may become an i'm
portant factor As an astute leader the Cover
nor has few equals to-day, and he is besides
sound conservative Democrat.
The Courts are busy some with great mo-
nopoly-yersus-priyater right suits, some with
doodle trials. and some with will contests
of magnitude. Heretofore the Surrogates
Court has been famous for its motions of adj
} iournment The practice has passed into a
Joke among the lawyers. Mr.. Plethoricis dead,
and has left an estate Of anywhere between one
andtwenty millions. Mr.. Executor or Admin
istrator puts the proceeding on the calendar
for an accounting and then adjourns it or con-
sents to an adjournment eyerytime it is called.
The matter is even worse with small estates
Up Jumps the little Office boy and adjouns the
motion for four weeks, two months and so on.
Meantime the children of the deceased want
money [or the necessaries of life and wear out
shoe leather in endless calls on their lawyer
Jarndyce and Jarndyce perpetually comes on.
No wonder Dickens ashes the Lord High Chan
cellor in his High Court Of Chancery, that fog
bank with It's decaying houses and blighted
lands: with its worn out lunaticin every mad
house. and its dead in every churchyard. No
wonder he warns US against solicitors in the
cause inherited from their fathers who made
fortune by it; and depicts the ruined suitor
with slipshod heels and threadbare dress Dor
rowing and begging through life while monied
might is able to file bills, cross-bils, answers,
reioinders. iniunctons, affidayits, issues ref
erences to masters, masters reports and noun
tains piled on mountains of costly nonsense
Talk about reform; the man that successfully
attacks this fog-bank of knee-deep technical
ties and protects dead mems estates from the
perennial spoiler we'll he ought to be canon
lied at the least as a common benelactor of ey-
cry man and woman who leaves any money
behind them at death Surrogate Ransom of
this city has stopped the adjournment joke
One adjournment for q week is allowed on the
return day-no more. Every honest man and
woman in New York is saying God bless him.
Already the calendar is reduced nearly two
thirds. and judicial settlements are multiply
ing in like proportions What q mighty work
this man is undertaking. Well, Hildebrand
and Thomas Jefferson struck single-handed at
still more formidable giants, and they toppled
and fell. Let us watch Judge Ransom with
the hundreds of millions Of estates which PALE
DEATH is constantly rolling down into his tri-
bunal for honest settlement and see what
true reformer may do during thenext sixyears.
OCCASIONAL.