The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-05
Second of James Sprunt His .
torlcal Monographs.
BY EDWIN WOOD WILSON
Iwsnty-lhrae Lectures by Macon Included. An
notased by Or. Kemp r. BaiIe.--.an Inter-
esting Career Extending Over 81
Years in Congress.

historical Monographs is entitled 1.-THE
Congressional Career of Nathaniel Ma
con-" 1t was written by Mr.. Edwin Wood
Wilson, at the time student of the Uni
versity of North Carolina, now Instructor
IN History in the Haverford College Gram
mar School. The thesis won for Mr.. Will
son the Hill History prize, offered for The
best thesis by a student of the University
on some phase of North Carolina history.
In addition to the account of Macon's
career In Congress the Monograph con
talns tWenty-three characteristic letters by
Macon and one by Willie P Mangum to
Bartlett Yancey, then Speaker of the
Senate. These letters are the property OF
the University and are published for the
first time. They are annotated by DR..
Kemp P. Battle, who gives in interesting
foot-notes full explanations in regard to
facts and persons mentioned by Macon.
No other one of the distinguished states
men or our State has had a more inter-
estlng career than Macon Entering the
Second Congress in October of 1871, he
continued his services without intermis,
time he was successfully leader of his
party In the House, Speaker of the House
Tor several successive terms, and President
pro tenn of the Senate. He entered Con-
gress fifteen years after the Declaration
OF, Independence was signed, ten years af-
ter the adoption OF the Articles of Con-
federation. and two years after the rati-
fication of the Constitution During his
career the great questions agitating the
public mind were those In which the in
terpretations of the Constitution were in
volved, from which discussions the
American nation emerged in place o.
Federation Of States. Naturally from the
high official positions held by Macon, he
had no little part in the great general
results which sprang from these discus
sions.
In common with the majority of the
Southern people, Macon was an anti-Fed-
eTalist, in other words sstrict construc-
ZIONIST" He resolutely opposed all at
tempts to read into the Constitution pow
ers for the general government, not ex-
pressly granted Some of the important
questions, involving interpretations of the
Constitution, coming up during Macon's
career, which are intelligently and inter
estingly discussed by Mr. Wilson, were:
The bill establishing Navy Department:
the Alien and Sedition laws; the estab-
hshment of the United States Bank; In
ternal improvements; the tariff, and many
others of scarcely less interest. 1t is in
teresting to follow Mr.. Wilson's account
of Macon's position on these great ques-
tions, and then to turn to Macon's letters
and read his own expression Of opinion
concerning them.
It is not desirable to enter into a dis
a,,ccs raR n,,k
or two quotations from his letters showing
the extent to which Macon went in his
opposition to the doctrine of implied
powers" will be interesting. A taste is
given in the hope OF arousing the readers
appetites for more. In his account of the
fight over the United States Bank. Mr.
Wilson thus sums up Macon's attitude:
The determination of such issues involv
ed question of expediency and judgment;
and his Judgment was not always trust
worthy, save in matters OF absolute right
and wrong. - His only objection was
that Congress had no power to establish
such an institution The thing which
Macon feared was the extent to which this
doctrine OF implied powers" might lead.
In letter written in April. 1918, to
Yancey. he wrote: eff Congress can make
canals they can with more propriety en-
ancipate." And again: Il must ask you
to examine the Constitution of the United
States-particularly the following parts
and then tell me if Congress can establish
banks make roads and canals whether
they cannot free all the slaves in the
United States" The parts he Wished ex-
amined were Art. /, sec. 8, paragraph
same art. and paragraph, sec. 9; Art. 4,
all sec. 2 and 4; with 9Th and 10th amend
ments AS the doctrine of implied pow
ers" grew with the necessity of the gov
eminent, Macon's apprehensions increased
In 1926 he wrote to Yancey: "A gov
eminent which has complete power over
the purse and sword, with patronage OF
millions of dollars, cannot easily be kept
in check by constitution which by con-
struction or implication can be made to
mean whatever a majority may deem ex-
pedent or convenient" In March OF the
same year he wrote as follows: "The
Book of Judges ought to be attentively
read by every man in the United States
to see the terrible effects on the Israelites
for departing from the laws, which were
their constitution" And two years later,
he thus sums up his intense feelings on this
question: ''The Constitution of the United
States l have long since considered dead
and gone" Of course we know that IN
these views Macon was mistaken, yet it
was well Tor the future OF the american
people that there were men who held such
views. to act as a constant check and
warning in the first stages of the govern
ment. otherwise there is no telling to
what extremes the advocates Of a strong
government would have gone.
There was one important matter which
came UP during Jefferson's administration
which caused both the great parties TO
shift their positions, and in the shift Ma
con was compelled to follow has party. the
question was the ratification of the Louis
lana purchase treaty. The Federalists
opposed it on the grounds that the Con-
stitution did not authorize the President
to make such purchases; the Republicans
favored it on the ground OF implied pow
ers." Whether Macon surrendered hIs
convictions to party expediency Is not
known Certainly he took no part in the
Debate and did not either support or OPP
pose his Darty ona,,t.,