The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-01-25

sentiment Of Congress AMI the people
b.. refused Ia sote for an ~appronlafa.
in Congress, tn pay the travelling .E
peu~.S of General Lafayette. when .a
visited this country in lA26 a the .r,.-
IF lie nation. lie was simple iu
manners. ways. conversation aud d.r---.
ment. He wished his family ami -rar#
children to call him "NcekmS. lu>I~t.-
thar Macon wa called Mcekins by -...
old E.onle. and they called HIM SEQ u..
one nf his devil boys. Bob. sand fo h.
nj his table, grandpa MeekiuS. Viii 1..
have some III the l-.tk.n~ thac"Ui. H..
was elected t. The General Assembly ..
North Carolina, from Warren yeuu..
when h. was Il private in rhe Rrya..
tionary army. with n mll>kct ou bus
shoulder. When his election WAS au.
nounced TO him he told the nr>~eu-,r
that they meant some body else ami Pr.
fused the office until lis acceptance WAS
urged upon him hy Governor ta~0,..
When he came to Raleigh i'm 1880 a~
member Of the convention, Miss Be-
Gaddis. who kept Il boarding hou~,. t.r
members of tine Assembly and Wit.
whom he had boarded when q youu-
man in the Assembly. called - ~,r h.w
and embraced him. Mr.. Macon lI1 lut
kIlDW itF III lI>t. nut .ItttA a n t.i' .f'
said H.. remembered her. that "~Hu
made the best grog ne ever drank /.
the convention az 1875, in a lul i'm tho
debate ON the Catholic disability clause
Of the old Constitution, he called Iu.
Rhoullac. Of BERTHE, To the cha r., H#I
addressed the body on the subject. TIL.
danger of the Roman Catholic religion
To our secular institutions had been mu.I
mentioned. Mr.. Macon favored the Ir
moval Of the disability and among other
things. said with great simplicity
"Gcntlem"n say they fear the tath"l.~
VIII swallow up our liberties. Their is
some danger Of il. hnt there's more dam.
ger of n mouSe swallowing Il hutia.H'
and then he added. Il am not Il meuh,r
of any church. but | sometimes attend
the Baptist and feel pretty sure lar
BaptistS would swallow them b"fo,r
they swallowed our liberties"
We are probably now the only liy.u-
North Carolinian who has Il distinct ju
preston Of Mr.. Macon's personality, and
we are often applied to for informati"a
about him. We saw him once III 1881.
when 4 boy of fifteenth Warrcn.on,at a
Fourth of July banquet. Mr.. Macon
was thcn about 50, and was evidently
the big dog in the pit" and Il f|av"rl.r
OF the people. ne taIhtd liIllIIdiiN WIZ
any ami every body. He had on ii
chip hat and homespun plain clothes
with Il long vest that covered his ahdo-
men. They called him "tncle Nat.'
Some one asked him where hc got his
hat from. He replied that his over
Secr's wife made il for him.
We mex saw him for ten consecutive
days as Presiding officer of the con
~yention OF 1880. He was then about
apparently vigorous and having but
little to marks Of Senility. HIS hair WAS
short cut, not flcccy white. but Il light
sandy grey. apparently about > feet y
inches in height, weight apparently
about 100. complexion blonde. inclined
to rosy, dress Il browny white suit Of
linen thread, of apparently domestic
manufacture. His eyes We're grey. in
clined to blue. He was stocky built.
his eye WAS not dim, and his natural
force was we'll preserved. He was clean
shaved. He was always in his place
and did not vacatc his place bnt once i'm
ten days we attended the convention
in the Presbyterian church. in Raleigh.
and that was the debate on the 32ud
article Of the old Constitution, above re
rcrrcd 10.
Hon. +. G.. Skinner. of HEREFORD. Y.
has always recalled to us Mr.. Ma
both in personal appearance and
jecul:aritics of character, and We have
often thought tlfat with a patient ar
ready to adopt our suggestions of
changes, and starting with Il likeness OF
Mr.. skinner. We could reproduce Il like
ness of the 'old Roman" of whom wr
believe no likeness is eXtant.