Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-14
TOOMBS AND STEPHENS
HOW THE FORMER INFLUENCED
THE LATTER FOR SECESSION.
Interesting Reminisccnce of Judge
Martin About the MiIiedpe-
willie Convention

An interesting southerner who has been
spending some weeks i'm Washington and
renewing many old acquaintance is Judge
]. ]. Martin of East Point Ga. who was
sixth auditor OF the treasury during six
years of President Grants administration
from 1868 and relinquished that position to
become postmaster of Montgomery Judge
Martin was born in South Carolina being
member of the leading family of that
name, and is one of the original members
of the republican party i'm the south. He
was member of the famous Palmetto
regiment in the Mexican war. which went
in 1,1o0 strong, and after fighting it's way
over the walls of the City OF Mexico en-
tered the captured capital under command
of sergeant all the commissioned Off
GERS having been killed or wounded. As a
survivor OF that valiant band he is an heir
possible To a historic relic. When Andrew
Jackson died he willed to South Carolina a
silver urn which had been presented to
him by the ladies of that state I'm honor Of
his victory at New Orleans, providing that
II should be given to the braVest South
Carolina soldier developed by the next for
eign war. No one could choose between
the 300 survivors of the Palmetto regiment
who returned from Mexico and a choice
being impossible the legislature provided
that the urn should be given TO the last
survivor. About a score of the veterans
remain, and should Judge Martin outlive
them he will receive the treasure He is a
man of most interesting personality and
has rare fund of "reminiscences of the
public men who made the south famous
Reason Georgia Seeded.
Judge Martin was present in Mnledgeville
when the question of the secession or
Georgia was about to be considered by tie
convention.
The potential influence which Robert
Toombs exerted over Alexander H Ste
phcns was the main reason which lei
to Georgia's Withdrawing from the Union,
said Judge Martin to Star reporter.
stephens up to the eve of the conve II ion
was in line with Herschel V. johnson and
other wise Georgians against secession.
South Carolina on one side and Alabama on
the other had seeded, but Georgia would
have withstood the storm had it not been
for Toombs.
THE night before the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
johnson, Ben Hill and several others
We're comforting in caucus behind locked
doors in Milledgeville hotel, when Toombs
knocked at the door There was no an
swer. Again Toombs knocked, and again
none answered. The third time he raped.
saying sharply, is Mr. Stephens in there
The little man hesitated. and then replied
affirmatively, and Toombs was admitted.
The majority of the group argued and
pleaded against secession, but Toombs Was
immovable.
DO as you please in the convention to-
morrow. he said warningly, but ] tell Won
If Georgia does not secede revolution VIII
begin right here in Milledgeville After
ward Toombs impressed most of the oth"rs
with his own mistaken views about the At
titude of the north. He believed-indeed.
was convinced-that the north would not go
to war to keep the south in the Union.
Terrible events were needed to wake him
up to a proper realization of his error, but
he was awakened at last"
Political Future of the South.
Judge Martin believes that the substan-
tial development of the south now increas-
ing with such prosperous strides VIII even
tually lead to the reclamation Of his section
In a political sense.
Independence in worldly affairs he re-
marked, "is sure to beget independence in
thought and action, and to inspire men to
throw off the trammels Of caste or prelu-
dice that environed them when they were
more or less dependent. Business inter
ests will have more attention paid to
them in the future political south than
mere party polemics or played-out prece-
dents. 1t will need time, of course, TO
bring about the changes / speak of, but
they are in my opinion, inevitable"