The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-10-17

AIN Sdfu 4 MI Eou1 the old fOEtpE fnF
the presidency. and he gave them the
worst shaking up they ever had. When
randolph entered Congress in Deem
Der, 1893. every department. OF the
government was in the hands OF the
rederalists, and he was therefore IN
the minority in the House. Albert
Gallatin was the leader Of the minor
ity with such l~seutenants as John
Nicholas. of Virginia: Samuel Smith.
OF Maryland; Edward Livingston. OF
New York: Nathaniel Macon. OF North
Carolina. and Joseph Nicholson. OF
Maryland. He at once assumed a DO
sitlon as a leader and plunged instant
~ INTO debate with the intrepid dur
ing of a crusader and the rushing,
violent i~mpetuosity of a torrent. lie
denounced the army as '~mercenaries.
nirellngs, loungers who live on the
public, who consume the fruits OF their
honest industry and the people put
no confidence in the protection Of a
handful Of ragamutfins." n next
evening he and his friend Macon at
tended the theatre. when two young
marine officers came into the box be-
hind them and during the play made
remarks at Randolph. Those raga-
mullins on the steps are black Virginia
ragamuffins. They march we'll for
ragamuffins. Our mercenaries would
do better" One OF them crowded
into the seat by Randolph and as he
was leaving violently jerked his col
lar. His tongue was full OF poison,
gall and venom. He especially hated
the two Adamses, father and son.
me cup, ne SAID, is Il greater bear
than the old one" He spared nobody.
He hurled his remorseless darts and
envenomed shafts of ridicule and cal
umny at Washington. jefferson. Madi-
son Monroe, Clay, and Web
ster. He called Marshall the Chief
justice because he interpreted the
Constitution in the interest Of those
who were in favcr of a centralized
government, King John. He had been
secretary of State under Adams and
appointed by him Chief Juatice during
the very last days of hiz sdministra-
ton in March, 1901. jefferson was
furious at the appointment, for Mar
shall was a Federalist like Washing
ton, Adams and Hamilton. Madison
was IN favor of a National Govern
ment K Hamilton in the convention
OF 1857 that organized the Govern
meat, but when jefferson organized
the Republican party in opposition 10
washington and Adams he Joined
Jefferson's party. This caused Ran
doph to make his brilliant, enven-
omed remark which has become clas-
sic, that Madison was always some
great mans mistress, first Hamilton's,
then Jefferson's." Nobody but the
NJ tiO Itdl III WHY Sdl -
castle Randolph could nave used such
an expression. When Congress met
on December 7th, 1901, Nathaniel
Macon, Of North Carolina, was chosen
as Speaker. He was a North caro-
linian planter as pure as any Cincin-
natus ever bred by Rome. He was
elected Speaker for three terms. In
1905, when taking his seat for the last
time as Speaker, he made the follow
ing speech. which for brevity. for
c~1earness of expression. for simplicity.
for purity of English, is a model:
Gentlemen, accept my sincere
thanks for the honor o have con-
ferred upon me. Permit me to as
sure you that my utmost
will be exerted TO discharge the du-
ties Of the chair; with fidelity; i'm
partiality and industry and that /
rely with confidence on the lib
eral and cordial support Of the
House He was a member OF Con-
gress from 1791 to 1915, when he was
elected to the Senate of the United
when warned by advanced age he re-
signed. In 1885 he was President OF
the North Carolina Constitutional
Convention. In 1886 he was a Pres
idential elector and voted for Van
Buren, for President This was his
Congress in December, 1901, Macon
appointed Randolph chairman of the
Committee on Ways and Means. n
was his second session In Congress,
n he was only tWenty-efght years
old. Macon seems to have been daz-
zled and bewitched by the charm of
Randolph's manner His biographer
says Few Southern men could ever
resist Randolph's caresse when he
chose to careSs, and the men who fol
lowed him most faithfully and be-
lieved in him to the last were the
$4,000 I;nb ~S~I11 ord rncalGCh Of
Southerners. Macon was already on
his knees to him as before an Apollo,
and in spite of innumerabie rude
shocks the honest North Carolinian
never quite freed himself from the
strange fascination of this young VII
sinian BrutuS. with eyes that pierced
and voice that rang like the Vibra-
ton of glass and with the pride Of
twenty kings to back his more than
Roman virtue"
~- aan va = 60