Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-11-13
THE DANGERS THAT TESTATORS
LEAVE BEHTND THEM.

The old Saxon axiom about wills. that
''the word of one dead man is worth that
of a thousand living ones," has long ago
lost its weight. The popular mind has be-
come accustomed to seeing wills attacked in
court and the clearly conveyed purpose of the
testator defeated by the Judge Oh some well
taken exception to the drawing up of the
document. So, when q New York court
set aside the clearly expressed purpose OF
that distinguished lawyer, the late Samuel
j. Tilden, to give the city of New York
several millions Of dollars for a free i }rary,
the people were not surprised. But it has
given rise to discussion all over the coun-
try which may possibly ring about some
abate nent in the general ca Sc with watch
the purposes Ct men who earned the money
can be de cate +, and The money itself
turned over to the men who did not earn a
dollar of it, rs next Of kin. 1t is fact
that wills bequeathlng great amounts
OF money or estate are now looked upon as
legitimate objects of prey. The ease with
which competent counsel can be secured on
the contingent fee basis enables the merest
characterless adventurer, and on the slight
est ground, to make a formidable attack Oh
a testament disposing Of fortune. In
many States the laws of bequest have been
barnacled with amendments, changes and
repeats until the attorney who undertakes
to draw a will should, to be competent, be
specialist in this particular line. In 9th
Ell States the method of making wills is so
cumbrOuS that the chances are always large
ly in favor of all the requirements not hav
ing been complied with, and an opening is
made for contest. And in almost any
case there can be found by an ingenious
lawyer some peg to hang suit Oh involving
the validity. After the experience OF so
great a lawyer as MI. Tilden in drawing
up his own will and failing-in the opinion
of the court-to follow the law sufficiently
close to prevent its being declared null and
void, the ordinary every day man who has
to trust his testamentary work to the ordi
nary every day lawyer, will have little assur-
ance that he can so arrange his affairs as to
dispose of his property with certainty. The
only remedy that we have seen suggested
to this, is to give the courts power to de-
eide whether OF not the testator S purpose is
clearly stated in. OF fairly to be inferred
from. the will. and to construe the purpose
and enforce it without regard to flaws in
the legal form Of the document itself.
AN EXPERIlIENTAL STATION TO BE
APPLIED FOR.
The County Farmers Alliance of Angus
ia is engaged in practical work. 1t took
hold Of the beet sugar question with promp-
itude and energy. 1t IS now pressing the
establishment of an e. s. Experimental
Static n here. u uisiana has three of them
and Alabama four, while Virginia has only
one, at Blacksburg, and that is off rail
road and in a distant part Of the State 1t
is proposed to get established here the ''Ag-
ricultural Mining and Manufacturing Sta
ton and Technical School Of Staunton.'
where there will be facilities for testing the
soil, minerals, the condition Of the climate
and SO forth. Mr.. Tucker is giving his
hearty cooperation to the enterprise. and
will introduce bill in the House next
month to carry out the views Of its promo
terS.