The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-07-09
GR Dc I.lFE. I.


hon. RoBERTreoH Of GEORyGlEIl[Al 9
,Tnk Fam Tsc,ss.l,HBsEs IND THEIR orr !!
aftHAoN TIss HfssrISa SENT lEss co ~
an Ess-IE THE SEC Ess1o NJ IR9Le Be
syIIE:wsaN Mr.. DAyls-WHY THE soUTH
FAILED, ETc. Z. i 355t
fsiI, 81. Philadtirh Tfmes.J s. b
ses r1aXrA 81 MI III. JuIy /. The reGentapeec
i mn des hy General IA Bob y Toombs 10 the
% q al Inc State against ex- Treasurer 3Jact
zones disclosed an aiaFmtDg condition o.
Eta,ssicat ReAkisses on the part OH I ne ol9
ma eloquent, aud gave too plain eyidenet
that his race has been nearly rnn. Three
or four times he had to totter to bis chair
and sit down and rest. His mind IS SUI
powerful, and his frame Is massive and
erect, but Il lis quite clear that he sis mol
en,rai to many sustained efforts. 81 the peo'
MIS- or Georgia never, loved any man
better than they love General Ioomns,
and the signs Of his breaking down
have awakened a tender interest 10 him
and ali that to him pertains. he Is
the most remarkable man In many respects
that the South ever produced, and IT L
doubtful II tie records OF lordIier Lille than
his can be found in the history OF our re-
nublic. He has never moved as other men,
nor worked by ordinary methods. DE nas
been lavish In his opinions, kingly IN an NJ
WAYS: 6isdaining all expedients or delioe'
rations, and moving to his ambitions with
4 princely assumption that has never oeen
salpsayed by the people, and seldom by CIT.
cumstances. Senator Beck. OF Kentucky,
once said to me 1" I have known most o.
the great men OF this country, but have
vet 10 see the man that is in my opinion the
equal OF Toombs." -,
THE life OF General Toombs reads like q
romance. His ancestors were Engiish roy
aIists. and followed the fortunes OF Cnaries
III. They owned, it is said,, the Ietrea'
sought by that Iuckless king at Boscaoei' al.
ter the battle OF Worcester. Tney ieii
England shortly after this event and: settieo
in Virginia. During the Revolutionary wal
a regiment Of Virginia troops was sent 70
Georgia, alter the losses at savannah any
Dry creek, at the request OF the. georgia
authorities. The father OF General IoomDs'
then.a mere boy, was 4 major In the Tegl-
ment. at the close OF the war the State
gave to each officer and private OF this regi-
ment "a handsome estate. Major Toombs
selected d tract in, what is now Wilkes
county and settled down. AS he was The
Younger son. the law Of primogeniture,
then Of force in Virginia. would have gwen
him b,,t little OF his fathers estate. In this
way. also. came the Terrells. Whithelds,
and mauy. ether distinguished families to
Georgia. -.
Robert Toombs was born in 1910, and is
now sixty-nine years Of age. He was sent
to the University of Georgia, where he was
distinguished for bis ability, and from
which he was expelled for fighting. He
then went to the University OF Virginia and
read law, He returned. to his home and
began the practice OF his profession. He
was very successful; before he was thirty
three years OF age having made sl5O,0OO 10
fees and profits, bis income being S20,OOO
per annum at least for two or three years.
When be was twenty-seyen years OF age ne
was elected 10 the lower house OF the Legis'
lature. Then commenced a political ca
reer uneouaied in Georgia for bril-.
fancy. While Stephens, Cobb. and
Crawfo were fighting stubbornly and
with varying luck, and Ben. Hill, then
brilliant yoGngster, was being Deatch al
the polls, after sweeping the hustings,
Toombs took his honors without struggle,
and as II by divine right. He won distlnc'
ton in the Legislature by breaking down an
omnibus bill granting State aid to railroad;
for all sections OF the State, assaultlng. mrs,
the scheme to build road to bis own town
He fo!Iowedthis work by taking the finance!
OF the State out OF the hands OF the Ole
managers, and preparing bill that at once
sent State-bank notes from about forty u
one hundred per cent. While In the Legis
lature be was nominated Tor Congress, ant
made the race. Although there was
majority of 1900 against him, and tot
great McDuftie was imported to meet TIT
young Irresistible, he carried his distrlc
by rouslng majority. The bitterness o
Georgia politics at this period cannot be eX
pressed. The State was split into persona
factions, led by CLARK and Crawford, ant
tile feeling was intensely bitter. The twt
leaders met twice on the field of honor, ant
It was charged that Clark sent a galan
Young fellow named Van Allen to kiilC raW
ford, who, however, fought duel VIII
him. The Toombses, as did all the import
ed Virginians. espoused the cause OF CraW
ford. The elder Toombs had a persona
encounter with Clark, while RobeEt.led tn
Younger wing of the Crawford part,
through at the turbulent campaigns
Toombs remained in Congress eight years
and WAS elected to the Senatetwhlte II
the House, succeeding Hon. D., McPher
son Berrien. He entered the Senate in 1856
and was reelected in 1857. On both occa
sions his election was virtually unanimous
aud was won without q struggle. BE wa
never beaten in popular election, and wa
in public life from 1887, when he entered
the Legislature, until in 1865, when be es
capped from New Orleans. All the time h
was leading. actor in the. stirring scene
with which, he was: surrounded, and bi
"reminiscences and speculations as TO his col
leagues and their actions are exceedingly in
teresting. In a long talk with your CORE
spondent he talked freely OF the events tina
led up to secession; the organization OF tn
secession government; the causeS ot TIN
failure Of the Coniederacy;' Of his flight at
ter, the collapse; OF BIZ, opinions OF recon
strGetion; ): and threw much light on thes
Interesting opies~--I- saas4- let him tell thes
things in bis own words: .g...,.
...,, !, .T0oMDs a UNION MAN FOR YEARS. -,ah.
II have always believed in the sovereign
ty OF theEState, but have been very mucl
I,mfsunderstood on the subject Of secession
I have never believed the Constitution o
the United States was good one, and as Al
original question would never have votet
| for it-butI was not. the blatant secession
ist that have besn representative is, III
tothe time that thought there was no peac
or security for my people in the Union
Then / determined to lead them out OF
compact that was protected by nothing
but good faith; was shown to have NJ
good faith back OF it. My first yot