The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-12-05

Feb as Speaker but nevertheless re-
|ceived forty-five of the 119 votes
[caT. In the House of Represents
Hves he served, being constantly re-
elected, till 1915, when he was,
without his solicitation, transferred
TO the Senate. There he remained
thirte>n years, always . leading
member, and acting president of the
Senate after the death of Senator
GaiHarl February, 1S26) till May,
1928. Then, though reelected
president pro tenn, he declined the
office, knowing that within few
months he would complete his
[seveFtieth year, at which age he had
previously decided to retire from
public life. He was in the midst
OF a-eeratoriai term, but was true
to his purpose, and sent to the
Legislature of North Carolina his
resignation as Senator, trustee of the
University, and one of the justices
of%the peace for Warren county.
For thirty-seven years he had been
his States most honored representa-
tive in the halls of Congress. At
that time no other man had been
honored by any State by being
chosen to guard its interests at the
nations capital for SO many years
consecutively, and not until more
than half a century later did any
State so honor any man, the late
Senator Morrill,, of. Vermont, being
Macon's only rival in this respect.
In 1888 Macon married Miss Han
pah Plummer, of Warren county.
She died few years later, leaving
two daughters, whom he brought
up asaccomplished ladies.
After 1928 he took no part in
political affairs until 1885, when he
presided over the State Constitu-
tional Convention. Serving as elec-
tor for the Van Buren ticket in 1885
was his last public act. Death came
June 29th, 1887, and he met this
grim visitor as he had met the
duties of calmly and philo-
sophically. He had paid his physi
clan; asked two neighbors to make a
plain coffin for his body, and select
ed barren ridge ON his plantation
as the spot for his grave. Believing,
as he had said years before when
opposing an appropriation to build
a m.usoleum to Washington, that
monuments are useless since the in
vention of printing, his grave is
marked as he directed, only by a
pile of rough flint stones.
Maccn's Character and Political Prin-
Having given this brief sketch of
his life, I shall now say something
of Macon's character and political
principles. In politics, he was a
member of the original Republican
later known as the Democratic
party. Honesty, independence,
faith in the ability of the people to
settle properly all political questions
and opposition to all unnecessary
land perhaps some necessary appro-
priations, were his strong points
politically,
He was democratic in the broad
est and deepest sense of that word.
He opposed the adoption of. the
United States Constitution because
he did not consider it democratic
enough, and refused to endorse the
work of the State constitutional
Convention of 1885, chiefly because
the uew constitution did not pro
vide for annual elections, which he
considered "a fundamental principle
of republican liberty" ''The peo
ple," said he, "should pass upou tht
acts Of their representatives at leas
once a year. I prefer the tempest
of liberty to the calm of fdespotism
Macon wished to keep all politica
power directly in the hands of th'
people. More than once he com
planned of the constantly increasing
power of the executive department
of the government. He would &C
cept no Office ssnot the gift of tn
people or of their immediate repre-
sentatives, the Legislature" Twic
he refused a position in Jefferson
cabinet but the insignificant Office
Justice of the peace, to which tn
people of his county directly calle'
him, was not too small for him t
accept.
Ono of his Congressional co
leagues, who knew him as frien
and as statesman, says that Maco
would "trust the people further tina
Jefferson would have ventured, fs
, beyond Washington, and to an o.
tent that Hamilton would have pr
l nounced anarchial." .--.=
l Scoring the arts of the demag'
4 que, however, he made no displa
t of his devotion to the people and
l their cause; never made popdl.
e harangues, never canvassed his di
h trict to ask for the votes of his col
S stituents. An uncOmprOmisiI
d champion of democracy he wac, b'
y he was no time-server, and did n