The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-07-08

DOlS, his ldllHlu Attendance UPON 1hS
little country church, his interest in the
springs" These were characteristics of
his home life ard greatly endeared him
to his neighbors, by whom he was known
as Mr.. Meekins. This pronunciation Of
his name was insisted upon by Mr.. Macon
himself, but was not so much rellshcd
by his grandchildren. One of these, by
way of protest, offered his grandfather
some bacon at dinner or one occasion,
calling it "beekins,' and justified him
self by the argument that if Macon
spelled "Meekins,' bacon spelled bee
kins." We are not told hat the argu-
ment was convincing.
A short time after his wifc's death Mr..
Macon entered upon that public service
in which he was to win enduring fame,
and a larger measure of affcctionatc re-
gard han falls to the lot of most pub
lie men. At the opening of the first SOS
sion of the Second Congress, OF October
2S. 1871. he took his seat as Il member
from the Warren district. At that time
the FcdcraliSts were in power and al
ready committed TO the open door theory
of constitutional interpretations and to
the doctrine of implied powers Against
these Mr.. Macon was uraltcrablv set.
The gentle Huguenot blood on tho one
'iit NhSli - iAAioiJ
and oppression; the hardy pioneer strain
on the other, with it's records of hard
ships and dangers overcome. were a
heritage Of preparation for d life cast
in heroic mould. In 1864, that portion
of Granville, in which he lived, had been
cut off and erected into the county Of
Butte. Here his boyhood witnessed the
agitation which preceded the Revolution.
Almost from his very door went the
'Serious address to the inhabitants of
Granville" Only a little way off, at
Hillsboro were the stirring events Of
the Regulators. From his own, Butte, by
the hand of Thomas Person, went the
petition Of his kinsmen and ~neighbors.
! When, after years at the feet OF Wlther-
spoon, where enthusiasm was tempered
by knowledge. he returned to join in the
struggle of his kinsmen for liberty. in
the county of Butte. where there were
no tories" he found at the head Of the
Committee of Safety his old preccptor,
Patillo. and associated with him the
| men of his own family-Ransom. Aston,
Hawkins, Green, SeaWell, Johnston and
Jones.
About him were men who had conquered
stream and forest and mountain. who
, had established homes Of virtue and in
duStry and thrift, who. in the Colonial
Assemblies had proved themselves the
equals of the English governors sent to
! rule over them. and who, upon this sa-
cred ground ard a hundred other battle
fields had shown their manhood in the
face of the best soldiers of Europe.
Could a man born and reared under such
circumstances and among such men
doubt their capacity for self, government
or look with any degree Of patience upon
the acquisition Of power by trickery in
the Interpretation of the Constitution?
Not Macon, at any rate.
As a member of the minority, Mr..
Macon had little opportunity to promote
any important legislation in Congress,
but here, as in the State Legislature, he
received early recognition. His course
was marked by sound judgment and in
dustry, and by a strict adherence to the
Constitution. His first real opportunity
came in the great political contest of
1799-1S00, which ended in the final de-
feat of the Fedcralist party. Judge
Story in his notable address on Marshall
gives this account of that struggle:
The session of Congress in the winter
of 1893 and 1900 will be forever mcmora-
bic in our political annals. 1t was the
moment of the final struggle for power
between the two great political parties,
which then divided the country, and end
cd, as is we'll known. in the overthrow
Of tho Federal administration. Men Of
the highest talents and influence were
thcrc assembled and arraycd in hostility
to each other; and were excited by all
the strongest motives which can rouse
the human mind, the pride of power, the
hope of victory, the sense of response
hility, the devotion to principles deemed
vital and tho bonds nf long DOltIc1I
attachment and action. Under such cir
c~umstanccs (as might naturally be OK
pectcd) every important measure OF the
administration was aSSailcd with a Dold
and vehement criticism, and was defend
cd with untiring zeal and firmncsS. Mr..
Marshall took his full share of the de-
bate, and was received with a distinction
propOrtioncd to his merits. Such a DIS
t%inction, in such a body is a rare occur
renee; for years of public service and
experience are usually found indispensa-
bic to acquire and Justify the confidence
Of the House of Representatives NO
man came out of this struggle with
greater distinction than Mr.. Macon. It
loft him the recognized leader OF ms
party in the House of Representatives.
and. Speaker. He held this position dur
ing three terms with entire independence,
'io ~ - ~ 60
His sickness and absence from place pre-
vented his further election: "A calm and
steady virtue. which acts temperdtely
and wisely, and never plungeS into lndlS-
erection or extravaganza, is but too often
COMPOUNDED with dullneSs or frlgldlty-
This has been Mr.. Macon's fortune at
home. One writer in a late North Car
DINA publication speaks of him as a
man of mediocre abilities and meagre
education.' But he had no such eX-
pericnce in Congress. His worth was at
once discovered and there was no abate-
mcnt of his prestige with the passing
years, but ever increasing respect. just
before his retirement, Randolph wrote:
lie richly deserves every sentiment OF
respect and generation that can be 1elt
for his character"
1t is impossible in a short address TO