The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-30
WILMINGTON. N. C..
THE GREATEST OF NORTH CARO-
LINIANS.

is really the cate man yet born In
North Carolina The Messenger will not
object. 1t hasa high admiration for
his Enthusiastically noble qualities. 1t
set forth what 1t understood those quail
tiles to be. 1t is not always easy to de-
termine with exactitude who is really
the greatest man Of a state, unless there
be one who overs in grandeur and no
bility and genius above all his fellows.
If asked who is the greatest Of all Vir-
ginians the answer OF ninety-fve out
of the hundred would be Washington,
and so would Europe and the north
answer. But we hold and believe that
Robert E. Lee was a greater man. Sc
with other men in other sections or
states. You will find this variation Of
opinion in England as to the statesmen
of the last century.
Now, Mr.. Macon could not make a
speech. He was no orator like Brutus.
He was not a particularly striking
writer. His sense of humor was very
commonplace. See Wheeler 6 anecdote
of him in 1886, when the electoral col
lege met in Raleigh. He was a man of
Judgment, OF wisdom, of power, of truth
He held many important Offices. bit
he has left but few memorials. We sup
pose, to attest his high intellectually
and his superiority in greatness to ali
North Carolirians who were his con-
t~emporaries or who lived after he did.
Vice president n ex-senator Ham
tilton Hamlin, of Maine, in his excellent
book of "reminiscences published about
two years before his death, and per-
haps not ten years ago, writing Of Seb-
ator George f. Padger, he said he de-
served to rank with the greatest sena-
tors with whom he Hamlin) had serv-
ed in the senate. In less than six years
after he entered the senate he was the
acknowledged leader of the wings IL
that body. We make that statement
distinctly n can establish it If de-
MED. When ne retired a democratic
senate passed resolutions of regret that
this great wing leader was compelled
to retire by reason of the exigtncies of
party. Senator Ransom caused the
resolution to be exumed and given to
the But we are not fight
ing an effort to establish MdCons su-
ipremacy. If he is entitled to the first
place really, hen we say in a spirit OF
fairnes sane business, by all means let
him ave his 1ightful place, for he was
a manly, upright, faithful, genuine
North Carolinian worthy of generous
and rightful appreciation. W, find this
-, nv ovo1o-no r-a forraf which
"Appleton's Cyclopedia says. He was
the intimate friend Of Thomas Jeffer-
son, James Madison and John Ran
dolph, of Roanoke, said OF hum in his
will: He is the wisest the purest, and
the best man I ever knew"
The Raleigh News and Observer,
which holds, we, suppose, that Macon
is our greatest man UP to now, gives
his summary OF appreciation:
MIR. Macon lived in a day wher
speeches were not generally presei we'd
and he was a man not given to much
speaking. Mr.. Vance lived in a day CT
St~enographerS and spoke often and on
many themes. For every line preserv-
ed of MacOn's speeches, we have a thou
sand Of Vance s, but great as Vance
was we do not believe he approached
Macon in national leadership. The
facts show that while Vance was a
mighty power in North Carolina n
rose to eminence in the senate Macon
was one of the first leaders of his r2r-
ty at Washington as we'll as the undts-
puted leader at home. He was made
speaker Of the national house of repre-
sentatives. the greatest office in Amer
lea after the president; he was made
president of the United States senate.
he declined the office of postmaster gen.
eral; he was the close friend and ad-
wiser of Jefferson, and a suggestion
about North Carolina patronage from
him was acted upon without question
by Jefferson: he was president of the
constitutional convention and made his
last public speech for religious liberty.
No man could attain tn positions that
came to Mr.. Macon u~nSought n hold
his primacy until his voluntary retire
meme Who was not n statesman of sa-
gacity and ability"
We are not altogether ignorant OF
his services an6 fame. He had a dis
tinguished name when there were many
eminent men. North Carolina did not
have so many then. Her foremost men
came in later. We think Thomas Hart
Benton ranked in ability with Webster,
Calhoun and Clay. Higher than per-
haps Mr.. Macon cid That is i'm
preston. VIC recall easily uloI lin
wings in the upper counties about 1910
and later did rot specially admire Mr..
Macon or attribute very much great
ness to him. We heard them when a
lad deride MIN. Men will differ, we re-
peat. as to the mental attitude Of man.
a calm. severe examination Of men and
their deeds is what is needed in bios-
raphy. 1t Is easy TO fall into a train OF
hero-worshipping. We knew personal
ly Mr.. Badger. He was a great man
a genius He was the greatest advo-
cate that ever appeared at the North
Carolina bar. He was par excellence
the best conversationalist we have ever
heard. He was a wit, was full Of hui
NOR. was endowed with high dramatic
qualities. ard had marvellous gifts for
the law The Oxford academy always
TOOK q holiday when he was to speak