The Life of Robert Toombs (Classic Reprint)

Download or read book The Life of Robert Toombs (Classic Reprint) written by Ulrich Bonnell Phillips and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-11-21 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Life of Robert Toombs Toombs's favorite character in literature was Falstaff; and he himself more or less unconsciously showed certain Falstaffian characteristics. But his braggadocio was'com bined with matter-of-fact-ness and high purpose; his comedy was mingled with tragedy; his self-indulgence stopped short at conviviality; and in public affairs he was among the most austere of men. When he quoted, as he often did, F al staff's request to Prince Henry, Rob me the exchequer, he invariably put the words into the mouths of the plunder ers whom he was opposing. Colonel Reed was fond of discussing Toombs's F alstaffian phases, and his book would have been rich in humor. Something of these qualities in Toombs will doubtless appear in my narrative, but most of it must be read between the lines. I have been chiefly concerned with his incisive criticism of public issues and his now moderate, now headlong championship of public programmes. With little manifest mirth at his antics or fellow-feeling in his grief, I have endeavored to use his career as a central theme in describing the successive prob lems which the people of Georgia and the South confronted and the policies which they followed in their efforts at solving them. In regard to the personal career of Toombs, my narrative probably demonstrates, what my studies have made plain to me, that Toombs was primarily an American statesman with nation-wide interests and a remarkable talent for public finance, but the stress of the sectional quarrel drove him, as it had driven Calhoun before him. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.