The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-09-30
HON. WILLIAM A. GRAHAM.
An ApDreciative Sketch Of That Illustrious and Noble
North Carolina Statesman and Leader,

VgrSV or OF creating 1t SUI III l9t vi a pio-
test. / merely gave my matured opinion
right or wrong. | recall that some two
or three years ago | wrote Of the four
greatest native North C~arolinians under
fifty years Of age as / regarded them. /
saw no Endorsement of my view. but |
read Il very fippant, discourteous refer
cnce to myself from al editor | mad once
praised when in his calloW youth, and
from whom | received a very cordial letter
of thanks at the time. No two men with
ewes and brains think or see precisely
alike. | might name the SIX greatest
meets. as | hold. in that a%ffuent. most
productive nineteenth century IN men OF
genius and power, and l would not eX-
pect an editor or q teacher or any man
or woman in North Carolina TO agree
with what was said. To Judge of poetry
a person must nave taste, sympathy, cul-
lure, a genuine love or metrical language
and the melodies of verse, as well as or
profound thought. He must nave literary
insight and much familiarity with the
great works of the world. both ancient
and modern. SO each qualified critic Will
select for himself, and the variety OF Sc
lection Will be pronounced. Who will
agree as 10 the six greatest men yet born
in our country? Who agrees as to the six
highest representatives in letters?
To estimate men one should know men.
Many qualities enter into human great
ness. Six men may deserve high rank,
and still be wholly unlike in their make
up. AS | look at it, a really great man
is an uncommon product Of any age or
country. l never saw any people who
even approximated greatness in a true
and high sense save perhaps four or five
men. and two of them were Webster and
Clay, both of whom l heard speak.
Of the six native North Carolinians
named by ne l am somewhat in doubt
IS to one, but he probably Will bear the
test as We'll as any one l could substi-
tute. The others were so finely intel
lectual as to forbid doubt on my own
part. / had in mind high, supreme in
teIlcctual qualities more than morals. If
the strictly moral or religious qualities
are to determine. the three greatest men
since Homer sang and enraptured the
world for all time by his supreme crea-
tions would have to be omitted in the
count. l mean Caesar, Shakespeare and
Napoleon. Among the greatest modern
authors some of the most antocratic in
genius would have to go to the limbo of
rejected geniuS-GOethe. Byron, Fielding,
and others, including nearly every great
contemporary of Sha~kespeare's in the
spacious times of great EliZabeth'-Mar-
lowe, Webster, Ben Jonson, Chapman,
Bacon and the other great galaxy of i'm
mortal genius.
1t would not have been diff
cult to find other men of superior
parts. l dc not doubt that almost every
man who read what | said would have
changed the list almost altogether. There
are many prominent, meritorious, able
natives of our State who bear command
ing names. In addition to the two named
by the editor of the News and Observer
Graham and Macon-there are Judge
Murphey. Governor Thomas Bragg. Sena-
tor w. p. Mangum, Chief Justice Pear
son, Chief Justice Leonard Henderson (of
whom Pearson said in one of his latest
opinions, that he had the most reflective
mind of any man who ever sat upon the
Supreme Court bench of our State with
one exception Judge John Taylor. l be-
lieve it was) Archibald Henderson, Bartlett
Yancey, Chief Justice Smith, and several
others. But | gave the names that most
impressed me as measuring up higher in
the intellectual scale than the others,
There are President James K. Polk. PreSi-
dent Johnson, Senator William r. King
one time President of the Senate; Lieu
tenant-General Leonidas Polk, Meredith
i. Gentry. Rev. DR.. Lovick PIERCE, Rev
HCZekl2h @. Leigh, and could add several
others of the sons abroad who won dis
tinction and became influential. Men mus
select for themselves. Of those l named
| saw but three-Badger, PettigreW ant
Vance. I knew the first and last named
personally, and heard them all speak
The six | chose were the six who fxe(
deep in my mind that they were of {
higher grade of brain power than am
others, and still l may be altogether
away from it. l claim cando and sin
certify, however far from satisfying other.
with their favorites.
The editor OF the News and Observer i
amazed at my selections and says:
But it is strange that the names o
Nathaniel Macon and William A. Ora
ham do not appear in any list, howeve
small, of the States greatest men. Non,
of the men named outranked them il
those qualities that give enduring fame.
If he is right then l am wrong. Per
haps he is not we'll up in his knowledg
of my particular six. | have known men
in the past, of education and sense VIII
did not believe that Mr.. Macon was reall,
q IiCAh VI IoiSC, "IIlIOuSh
true patriot. a brave, honest. useful man
Of very remarkable judgment and in
tegrity. | think more highly of him sure
ly than these did. / know OF John Ran
elolph's high praise, but brilliant as tn
Nirginian was and as gifted, he was neve
credited with distinguished sanity c
judgment or of remarkable wisdom an
of safe mental poise. Mr.. Benton hel
a high opinion of Macon, as he shows i
his large volume of extraordinary inter
est, Thirty Years in the L. S. Senate.
Mr.. Macon has left nothing in eithe
whiting or speaking that would give hi1
much repute for mental superiority nov
| believe | have very sincere admiratio
of the man as he was, but | would neve
agree to put him in the class with til
six very able men | named. Others ma
IF they so see it. put him at the heat
If so the standard will be lowered in m
judgment. But in this | am quite willin
for all men to have and to hold the
opinions. 1t is a free country as yet. an
there is freedom to think and to prin
How long this will last under Republica
rn1n fhiC 't1annnnnt rnith ,,It - ..1,-