Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-06-22
A Tribune Reporter Interviews
Hon. P cert To0hrbs.

A Tribune Reporter Interview
Hon. P cert ToOmbs.
In "a fewp .nutes Gen. Toombs cam
in, and soc a commenced to talk poll
tics. .Itold himathat he was under
stood to represent the most ultra win
of the Democratic party in Georgie
and that was desirous of learnin
his views upon political questions
"Yes,' he said, IT am one of th
red-hot kind" =" What do you thin
of the new departure of the norther,
Democracy, as .expounded by Yallan
digham and the Pennsylvania. Con
Tention ? Shall you support it.?
"Neyer. I would sooner vote fo
Horace Greedy than for any Democra
upon such a platform. Greeley ant
the Republicans first got it up; it,
their patient, and I have more .respec
for them than for such sconndrels a
Vallandigham, who wants to stea
their ideas" Mr.. Foombs.spoke a
some length in this style, declaring
finally, that the people Of the Sontl
could never be brought to accept thi
constitutional amendments as, fnali.
ties, and that if.the Democratic par
ty took that ground they would have
nothing to do with that party. " What
do you look forward toin the future? ?
I asked, ,;'"how can you escape the
results of the. war ?" eve vii.
fight you again just as soon as we can
get ready,t'he answered :" land I be-
heve we can get ready much sooner
than most people think" ".You can
not seriously believe that the South
will attempt another WARP" ~ GER
tainly do, and I believe that I shall
live to see Southern independence.
Many Of our people are losing the
hope that they will see Shiloh in
their day, but they are training their
.children up to. take. up the work. "
Gen. Toombs talked in the most bit
ter way against the Republican par
ty, which be denounced as composed
Of thieves, robbers and prison con-
.yicts. There is not an honest man
in the Radical party in Georgia" he
said. he accused the Northern Re-
publicans of sending down the worst
kind ofrascals toplunder and oppress
the South. He maintained that this
class Of men were purposely selected
to abuse and impoverish the South
ern people. He would not admit
that the Republican party as ma
tional organization had any honesty
or patriotism, aud the hard names he
called it, and the sins with which he
charged it; would fill a column. I
asked if he thought any considerable
number of men in Georgia agreed
with him in desiring a renewal ofthe
war, and in still hoping for Southern
independence. "Two-thirds of all
the white men in this State and in all
the South are Of this way. of think
ing" be replied; and if you will go
into the country among the planters,
you will. find what I say is true. In
the large towns the editors and busi-
ness men talk differently, but they
know nothing Of the sentiments OF
the people" ::
1 asked if he thought immigration
desirable for the South? mo" he
replied; we don't want northern
men to come here; let them stay at
home where they belong. This is our
country, and we want to keep it for
ourselves and our children. If peo-
pie who call themselves our conquer
ers insist on coming here against our
wishes, they need expect no welcome
from ns. We will have nothing to do
with them"
AS regards negro suffrage, that he
thought an. unmixed evil. A great
lump cf ignorane and vice had been
made sart of the governing class. He
said vice because the negroes were all
thieves. They were like animals,
and would steal anything they saw
that they wanted as naturally as a
hog would break into a potato-held
or deg would seize piece of meat:
He did not think an intelligent quail
iicaticn for suffrage would remedy
the evil. Recalling and writing did
not fit a nan for voting. The Paris
mob we're intelligent, but they were
the most dangerous class in the world
to be trusted with any Of the powers
of government. A. property qualif-
cation was what was necessary for a
stable government. Only, those who
owned the country should govern it.
and men who had no property had
no right to make laws for property
holders.
He is a man of striking personal
appearance. He is six feet in height,
with a powerful frame, a head some
what resembling that of Daniel Web
ster, in its unusual size and in the
great height ana breadth of the .,tc tore,
head. he is a rapid and billlant
talker, and has a memory that seems
to lose nothing that he has ever seen,
heard or read. His knowledge, :ot
history is especially thorough, partic-
ulariy of all the efforts and struggles
for liberty that the world has ever
rknown-the most gloriousof all these
struggles being, in his OPINION the
Southern rebellion. Heisa man that
it is easy to see would be a leader
wherever he might be placed, and his
influence in Georgia IS admitted to be
great.