The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-21
Glimpses OF

far back as 1851. that h lieutenant's com
mission was rendered him. burt never ac-
ceptcd and rhal lac became n member of
the Senate of North Carolina
in 1871, but what Is vcrl
strange in man like Mncon Fairo
TO attend during the whole nt tile first
session of uhat assembly. HI. received
no pay for serving as n soldier i'll the
Revolution nor did he accept his expenses
even for serving as. chairman of the Con-
Stitutional CCnvent;oD Of North Carolina
in 1885 as the papers i'll the archives of
rhe State Department cCnc.ussvely show
He was in tlris as in many other things
an inlitatCr OF Washington.
The events OF 1T1D caused Princeton
college to suspend; Macon wns there at
school and had served with the local
militia ON some expedition; he how went
home and began the study of law and
may have joined the county militia burt
certainly did ent,r the ser, &c ut once ~
did his brother John. AT college thu
farmers son from Warren county, No tn
Carolina. did not distinguish himself hor
DID the learning Of DIR. Witherspcon give
impetus enough to young NathaGiel's love
of study to overcome lack of early tra1n-
lng. NJ ,ctn never bee ann b lar. Moth
irg is known Of his college lie except
that there was such aud that he was at
Princeton Il Short time He. perhaps.
gave up law and went away to South
Car0lin.; in 11TS and from that time on
followed the fortune of the Southern
army tn elected to the Legislature. above
mentioned: we have no record %
hfs service in n legislative capacity ul
June IA. 1871. in Raleigh. but from then
ON we can judge fairly we'll of his life
and work though from very nlcaSre rec
ordS. From 1871 to 1885 he WAS
n,onbtr of the Senate CT this State and
serN ed ;ndustriCus'y on the chic c.,ln-
n.ttceS cf that body. and we see his
name ranked wi'A The names of the first
mpn OF the State from this time On.
One of these committees ON which ne
acted was the one that had the hopeless
task CT re-Organizing and giving stability
to our finances.
He does not seem to have taken part III
politics in the period of 1856 to 11SS-it
was. we are told. the hos ymocn time
with him which was not spent i'll n05iS
and railway cars but iii the home On the
plar:ation-a mother sign of right tlink-
ing. In 1888 he again enters poIif.oS
and that alcng the Ewes marked out "
that arch-opponcnt Of the Federal con, Ia
tuition. Wiley Jones. of Halifax His
brother John was member of THE lilis-
boro convention that Eat i'll iuiy. i1-S.
brt did little more thln vote nay to every
melton that was made favoriTg the Fed
clal constitution. 1t was lthere tlat
tradition in North Carolina says Jeffcr-
sens influence began to dominate anti
FederaliSt politics though the author ~:
the Declaration c. Independence was still
in France.
In 1871. Oct % Wednesday, there APP
peared at the har &C the House two be-
lated members Of Congress and presented
their credentials. One was Theodore
Sedgwick of Massachusetts the other
Nathaniel Macon. of North Carolina. the
one the well knGwI Fole.alist that beat
in the race for speakerShip i'll ~.
the other the stern. severe DemoGTat,
who won the contest for the same office
in December 1901. and continued to win
for six years to come. 1t was rather
pcculiar coincidence sihat brought these
two men irfto Congress on the same day.
Scdgwiol1 to oppose Macon in every act
Of his life afterward and Macon TO cp-
pose SedgwiCk i'll the sane way. StIii
again are Their lives similar b0.h were
elevated to the Senate and both be-
came speakers pro tenn 3atedly. Sedg
wick served his party and died with 1t III
1913: Macon served hs though no party
man Intentionally, and cast his last vote.
in 1895, for the ticket that was elected
the Martin Van Buren, ticket.
Macon was appointed ON the committee
for drafting Il LiI fixing the new ratio of
representation in Congress. but for so!ne
cause did not serve till the subject was
settled. On that first committee was
John Page of Virginia. and Van Muir
ray. Of Maryland. the same who sery"'
this country such good turn in settling
the difficulties with France in 1890 when
4 General Davie was also attached to the
commission and is said to have out-Shone
the Oldest of courtlelS at the court of the
ReEul lique franCais aud to have spoken
French better than E'renchman. a te1'
this committee experience Of MacCn s.
he seems to have remained absolute still
in his seat for two yCars--a science that
would have pleased Carlyle himself had
it not been that of Il Democrat. Macon
had. think. found the apportiolEneni
business too intricate fer him and retired
to serve his apprenticeship before asSum
ing the role of master AGAIN. 30 quet
did he remain during the two sessions ol
the second Congress Inal HlS idIit W.
rot one time occur III the index to tne
House proceedings. His votes were
though invariably cast among TN" nays
along with William Parry Groves ard
John Raptiste Ashes OF North Carolina
and James Madiscn's OF Virgin a. Some
times these nays dwindle down to half
dozen, some times they mount up TO a.
respectable minority. 1t was the nucleus
of the opposition that was to beccme the
dominant party in the nation ten years
later.
At that time there were but five repre-
sentqtiveS in Congress. i. e.. the liou,"
from North Carolina though the popula-
ton was $4,000 the ratio of | to .:.'.G,D
inhabitants had not been established. It
was no especial honor to hail FROM
North Carolina and no delegate If the
S4Gtp in Congress was expected to play
any very important rcle-not more then
than now: dead. solid opposition: votin.
ho, been North Carolina part III IA
tional legislation. The personal. now
ever of the North Carolina members
was good and the Safe may doubt if
il has now. century later. letter,
hr,,Jnr and more literally educated NOR