Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-03-03

ing armies whitening away in the field
helpless prey to the insatiate demon
of hunger; our Navy rotting i'll the
docks for want Of provisions for oul
gallant seamen. and we are without
amy railroad communication whatever
with the prolific pine thickets OF the
st. Croix. lGreat Laughter.
All, sir, l could very well under
stand why my amiable friends from
Pennsylvania Mr.. Myers. Mr.. Kelley
and Mr.. O'Neil] Should be so earneS
in their support of this bill the other
day, and if their honorable colleague
my friend Mr.. Randall, will pardon
the remark, | will say | considered
his criticism of their action on thai
occasion as not only unjust but ungen.
erous. | knew they were looking for.
ward with the far reaching Ell of en-.
lightened craftsmanship to the pitia.
bile condition in which Philadelphia
VIII be left unless speedily supplied
with railroad connection in some way
OF other with this garden spot of the
universe. Laughter. And besides
sir, this discussion has relieved my
mind Of mystery that has weighed
upon it like an incubus for wears.
could never understand before why
there was so much excitement during
the last Congress over the acquisition
OF Alta Vela. | could never under
stand why it was that sOIhe of oul
ablest statesmen and most disinteres-
ted patriots should entertain such dark
forcbodings of the untold calamities
that were to befall our beloved country
unless we should take immediate
possession of that desirable island
But see now that they were laboriny
under the mistaken impression that
the Government would need the
Guano to manure the public lands on
the st. Croix. [Great laughter.
Now, sir, repeat l have been salts
fled for years that if there was any
portion of the inhabited globe abso-
lutely IN suffering condition for want
of railroad it was these teeming pine
barrens of the st. CrOiX. daughter.
at what particular point on that noble
stream such road should be com
menced | knew was immaterial. and
so it seems to have been considered by
the draughtsman of this bill. 1t might
be up at the spring or down at the foot
log, or the wateT-gate, or the fiSh-dam,
or anywhere along the bank, no mat
ter where. Laughter But in what
direction ShOuin it RUIZ, or where should
it terminate, were always to nv mind
questions of the most painful perplexi-
ty. | could conceive of no place on
Gods green earth in such straitpned
circumstances for railroad facilities as
to ! g likely to desire or willing to ac-
cept such a connection. Laughter.
| knew that neither Bayfield, nor Su-
periOr City would have it, for they
both Indignantly spurned the munifi-
cence of the Government when coup
led with ignnminiOus conditions, and
let this very same land grant die on
hands years and years ago rather,
tnan submit TO the degradation of a
direct communication 10y railroad with
the piny woods of the 1t. CrOiX; and
| knew that wha: the enterpTisiIig in
habliantS OF those giant young cities
would refuse to take would have few
charms for others, whatever their ne
ccssities or cupidity might be. Laugh
ter.
Hence, as have said, sir, | was ut
tcrly at loss to determine where the
terminus of this great and indispensa-
bic road should be, until / accidentally
overheard some gentleman the other
day mention the name of " Duluth. -
LGrcat laughter. Duluth The word
fell upon my ear with peculiar and in
deScrihable charm, like the gentle
murmur of Il low fountain stealing
forth.in midst of roses, or the soft,
sweet accents Of an angels whisper in
the bright, joyous dream of sleeping
innocence. Duluth Twas the name
for which my soul had painted for
wears, Us the heart pantenth for the
water-brooks. Renewed laughter.
But where was Duluth! Never, in all
my limited reading. had my vision
been gladdened 10y seeing the celestial
word in print. Laughter And |
felt a profOumdcr humiliation in my
ignorance that its dulcct sylables had
never before ravishcd my delighted ear.
IROars of laughter. l was certain
the draughtsman of this bill have new
heard of it, or it would have been
designated as one of the termini of this
road. | asked my friends about it,
but they knew nothing of it. | rush
ed to the Library and examined all
the maps 1 could find. Laughter. ]
| discovered in one Of them a delicate,
hair-like line, diverging from tile
Missippi near Il place marked Prescott,
which | supposed was intended to
represent the river st. CroiX, but |
could nowhere find Duluth.
Nevertheless, | wac confident it ex-
listed somewhere, and that its discov-
cry would constitute tie browning
glory of the present century, If not OF
all modern times. Laughter.
knew it was bound TO exist in the very
nature of things; that the symmetry
and perfection of our planetary system
would be incomplete without it, re-
newed laughter :; that the elements OF
material nature would long since have
resolved themselves back into origi-
nal chaos if there had been such a
hiatus in creation as would have re-
suited from leaving out Duluth. ROars
of laughter. In fact. sir, | was over
whelmed with the conviction that Du-
luth not only existed somewhere, but
that wherever il was il was a great and
glorious place. 1 was convinced that
the greatest calamity that ever befell
the benighled nations of the ancient
world was in their having passed away
without knowledge of the actual ex-
istence of Duluth that their tabled
Atlantis, never seen save by the hal
lowed vision of inspired poesy, was,
in fact, but another name for Duluth
that the golden orchard of the Hes
perides was bat poetical synonym for
The beer-gardens i'm the vicinity of Du-
luth. TGrcat laughter : was certain
that Herodotus had died a miseT-
able death because in all his travels
and with all his geographical research
he had never heard of Duluth
Laughter. | knew that if the i'm
mortal spirit of Homer could look
down from another heaven, than that
created by his own celestial genius,
upon the long lines of pilgrims from
every nation of the earth 10 the gush-
ing fountain of poesy opened by the
touch of his magic wand; if he could
be permitted TO behold the vast assem-
blage of grand ana glorious production
of the lyric art called into being by his
own inspired strains, he would weep
tears of bitter anguish that instead OF
lavishing all the stores of his mighty
genius upon the fall of Hon it had
4. T.. Il, 4 L.. 70,