The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-01-23
TIE LAST or THE ROMANS.
lie. CITY EcononiSN

MI. .JeHEESOH SdEk VI NdludllICl Ad-
con that he was the last of the Romans.
John Randolph said i'll his will he was
the wisest man he had ever known. Mr..
BENTON speaks of him in his Thirty
Years in the Senate" as his counsellor
and friend in public life. Mr. Macon has
passed into history as one of the purcSt
and most incorruptibe statesmen that
has been on the stage of public life IN
these United States. He was type OF
the old North Carolina character in the
earlier and better days of the State:
He was plain, straightforward and had
great simplicity of character. His SIM
plicity amounted to ecccntricity. lie was
morally and physically courageous. re
drew his knife to defend Mr.. Ran4oiph
from ncrson1I aa,aults in Il theatre IN
Philadelphia. Against the unanimous
sentiment of Congress and the people
he refused to vote for an appropriation
in Congress to pay the travelling eX-
renses of General Lafayette, when he
visited this country in 1926 as the guest
If The nation. He was simple i'll has
monncrs. WAYS, conversation and dcport-
mont. He wished his family and grand
children to call him "Mcekins," insisting
that Macon was called Meekins by the
ore of his devil boys, Bob, said to nm
at his fable, grandpa Meekins, will you
have some of the beekins (hacon). lie
was elected to the General Assembly OF
North Carolina, from Warren county,
when he was Il private in the Revolt
tionarv army, with a muSket on his
shoulder When his election was an
nounccd to him he told the messenger
Il
fused the office until IT'S acceptance was
urged upon him by Governor CasWcil.
When he came to Raleigh in 1880 as
member of the convention, Miss Betsy
Gaddis, who kept boarding house for
members of the Assembly and with
whom he had bearded when young
man in the Assembly. called to see him
and embraced him. Mr.. Macon dill not
know her at first, but after while he
said he remembered her, That she
made the best Srog he ever drank In
tbe convention of 1880, in Il lull i'll the
debate on the Catholic disability clause
of the old Constitution, he calIcd 10.
| RhouI!ac, of BERTHE, to the char, and
addressed the body on the subject. The
| danger of the Roman Catholic religion
| to our secular institutions had been much
g.. l.
moval Of the disability and among other
| things, said with great simplicity:
| "GentIenIcn say they fear the Catholics
Will swallow up our liberties. There Is
| some danger of it, hut there's more dan
| ger of a mouse swallowing buffalo,
| and then he added. IL am not a member
of any church, but | sometimes attend
| the Baptist and feel pretty sure the
Il. i hnn
| they swallowed our liberties"
We are probably now the only living
North Carolinian who has distinct lm-
preston, Of Mr.. Macon personality, aud
| we are often applied to for information
about him. We saw him once in 1881,
when boy of fifteenth Warren.on,at a
| thuIth of July banquet. Mr. Macon
wils.thcn about 50, and was evidently
| the. Zig dog in the pitt and favOrite
of the people. He talked Familiarity with
any ami every body He had on a
Fthip hat and hOmespun plain clothes
| with a long vest that covered his abdO-
men. They called him "Uncle Nat "
Some one asked him where he got his
| hat from. He replied that has over
seer's wife made it for him.
We next saw him for ten consecutive
L
vention OF 1888. He was then about
| SO, apparently vigorous and having but
ittle to marks of. seRility. His hair was
| short cut, not heecy white, but light
sandy grey, apparently about feet y
inches in height, weight apparently
about 100, complexion blonde, inclined
ito rosy, dress brOwny white suit of
! nncn thread, of apparently domestic
! manufacture. His eyes were grey, in
| cIined to blue. He was st0cky built,
| his eye was not dim, and his natural
force was well preserved. He was clean
| shaved. He was always in his place
and did not vacate his place but once in
| the ten days we attended the convention
in the Presbyterian church, in Raleigh,
and that was the debate on the 32nd
article of the old Constitution, above re-
| ferred TO.
Hon. +. G.. Skinner, of HEREFORD. y.
! c.. has always recalled to us Mr.. Ma
con, both in personal appearance and
ppculiarities of character, and We have
| often thought that with a patient ar
list, ready to adopt our suggestions of
| changes, and starting with likeness of
Mr.. Skinner. we could reproduce like
ness of the "old Roman" of whom we
| believe no likeness is eXtant.