The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-15
The Civilian Leaders Of the Confederacy
BY John Goode, Of Virginia.
Sometime Member Of the Confederate Congress Of the
Secession Convention Of the Congress the United States and
President Of the Virginia Constitutional Convention Of 9Ol2

resigned his commission In the army.
After his return to Georgia he offered
his services to Governor Brown. and
was made adjutant and Inspector.
general OF the Georgia militia. taking
part In the battles before Atlanta, the
siege OF Savannah. and In tile battle
OF Pocotallgo. s. G..
Never RECONSTRUCTED.
When the Confederacy finally coll.
never asked for pardon. and always
Insisted that he was an "unrecon-
the war he pract!cu,i law and amassed
considerable fortune.
He was delegate to the State con-
Yentton in sii.t.iwas made chairman
or the committee on Legislation and
final revision. When the convention
n 40 embarrassed for the want Of funds
ne insisted on advancing the money
from his own pocket. One OF the last
acts OF his life was to pronounce ~
great eulogy en- the fife and character
OF his Intimate. bosom friend, Alex
ander FL Stephens. He died at his
home In Georgia. December Is, 1855,
universally beloved and lamented.
In 1874 Toomps was elected to Con-
gress. was reelected and served for
eight years in the House; supported
w. w f1atTlSQn.
in 1910. and Mr.. Clay, In 1874 His
first speech In the House was made on
the Oregon question:: he was an
earnest advocate Of the compromise
measures in 1850 took his seat In the
Senate in March, 1853. and remained
in that body until 1861.
MI Toombs was one OF the most re.
markable men whom 1t has been my
pleasure to know personally. He was
able. eloquent. fmpetuous and entered
into a debate with the fiery energy
ot one Who felt that he must do his
full part In the fray. AS an evidence
OF his great honesty OF purpose and
unyteldtng resolution. he refused. ,as
I have said, to make an application
for pardon after the close of the war.
He insisted that he had. done nothing
TOR which he should sue for executive
clemency. and that he would live and
die "unreconstructed." During the last
years of his life. It was his custom to
pass the summer months at the Greens
brierF White Sulphur Springs, and i
have often. listened to him as he gave
his Views about public men and public
measures.
Sitting beneath the patrimonial oaks
at that famous resort, with a; crowd
around him, especially of Northern
listeners. eagerly attending to every
word that dropped from his lips, he
declared that he had no country since
the subjugation of his beloved South,
that he felt as an exile In the land
Of his nativity, and in the language of
the bard Of Erin. he felt like exclaim-
Ing:
The harp that once through Tara'z
halls,
The soul of music shed.
Now lies as mute on Tara's walls
AS though that soul were dead,
A Lordls Life.
u Not long prior to his death public
journal in his State said OF him: "The
people of Georgia never loved any
man better than they loved Gen.ral
Toombs, and the signs that his race
has beep nearly run hava awakened. q
tender interest in him and In ali that
to him pertains. He Is the most re-
markabls man in many respects that
the South has ever produced. and it Is
doubtful II the records of lordlier life
than his can be found In the history
OF our republic. He has never moved
as other men, nor worked by ordinary
methods. He has been kingly In III
his ways, lavish in his opinions. dis
ldaining oil eXpedients or elaboration
land moving to his ambitions with q
tpr:ncely assumption that has never
been gainsaid by the people and seldom
by.
He was earnest and jealous In TIL.
cause OF the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite OF SFreemasorry Of whict
| he became member of the thirty,
third. or the highest. degree, and from
| lS72st 1880 he was an active membc,
| of the rite in the State Of Georgia
After HIS death Albert Pike. the mos
eminent Mason in this country, vic
had known him long and intimately
wrote Of him as follows; "A grea
man. old3and full OF days. has beer
!transcendent ability, pre-emlnentl5
gifted with logical faculty; of strong
lclear intellect: great lover Of ltllt
truth and singularly keen In distill
gushing 1t from the false; mar
quick In determining. resolute and adj
Iiering to and bold in announcing hi!
Itoncluslons and convictions an accom-
Iplished lawyer. an ardent and llnpas
Isioned orator, vehement and imperiou
lin debate: a student who, had accumu
Hated great stores OF knowledge u
many kinds: a man Of, antique great
mess OF soul, Of true nobility of char
(acter, and of perfect integrity, scorn
ling concenlment and deceit and tn.
|rascalities OF dialcctics: impetuous an,
some times in his utterances harsh, In,
Idiscreet and reckless, as II moved by
!, passion. and intolerance OF opinion
land yet, for all this outward seeming
genial and generous, most hospitabie
1 kind hearted, amiable. forglving:
imam whom one could not long be witt
without coming to love him; 9 ma.
who, take him all In all, had In hi
prime of life no equal In intellect II
1.-THE Southern States of the Union"
His Defiance to the Senate
In his last adaress 70 the Senate Mr.
Toombs WAS very defiant. and spoke
i as follows: ss 81 m
y, You will not regard Confederate
bobligations; you Will not regard con.
Institutional obligations; you will no
A regard your oaths, What. then, am
TO do Z Am 1 ia free man? Is my Stat,
n free statee We are free men; W
have rights 4 have stated them, w
\ have wrongs; 4 have recount ted them
have u demon ira ted that he i part,
now coming into newer has declare.
A