Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-08-04
Speech by Proctor Knott In Defense OF
his Action In the Matter OF the Gel.
ebrated Caldwell Dispa' 'ch About
Blaine.
Frye's Reply-Passage at-Arms Between
HuntOn, Of Virginia, and Hale, of
Malne-The Radicals Rally to
Blaine.
HOUSE.

exoDeratiug Mr.. Knott from all cul.
psbility in the matter Of the Caldwell
dispatch, was prt ssnted. and made the
, text Of speech by Mr.. Knott, in which
he rehearsed the whole history of the
Blaine investigation. Mr.. Knott de-
clared himself perfectly satisfied with
the unanimous e1oneTation which he
had received from the committee. He
,, read a paragraph from q Philadelphia
newspaper, which reiterated the charge
that he had infamously suppressed the
, Caldwell dispatch, and would have to
say q word about 1t. He regretted the
absence of the late member from Maine,
and alluded to bis sublime acting which
sccompsu led the disingenious resolution
that gave rise to this investigation. Il
Was said that Mr.. Blaine was Ill, that
the hand of God was upon him. Mr.
Knott threw out doubt that Mr.. Blaine
was really i'll, and strongly hintei that
his illness was designed, and only fur.
ther cover to postpone and obstruet the
investigation. Mr.. Knott then referred
to the attacks OF the partisan press, in.
spired by Blaine, upon him (Knett),
who was i'll, and labored under
great difficulty while speaking,
so that much Of his speech was unintel-
ligible. He went extensively into the
history OF the Blaine investigation; he
summariz3 I'd the testimony Of Harrison,
Scott and Rollins, and in regard to the
testimoDg Of the latter, Mr.. Knott said
that his evidence, taken as whole, had
corroborated the leading statements of
Harrison before the committee, and had
besides left the impression that there was
something in it that made it necessary to
get CaldwelPs testimony, and when the
committee proposed to telegraph Cald-
well, Blaine objected; but, perhaps,
Blaine had good reasons for raising these
objections. He went on to rehearse the
story Of the Caldwe telegram, and said
that as soon as he received it, he thought
ii extremely fishy, and it then occurred
to him that it was a scheme concocted
! on this side of the Atlantic to make the
| judiciary committee and the house itse (
| the instrument of penetrating a fraud
on the American people. He was con-
vinced Of it, ne said, on hearing Multi
| gan state the circumstances of his
FAMOUS interview with Blaine,
wherein (grovelling abjectly in the
dust) he imploled Mulligan not to
destroy him, and where, in the face of
a pledge to return the letters, Blaine
coolly put them in his pocket. He SUBJ
mitted that after that he had ample
grounds for believing that Blaine would
not scruple to be party to concoctiDg
the Caldwell telegram, or anything
else that would tend to promote his pri-
vste or political ends. He sent a dis
patch to Caldwell under the mellifiuous
psudonym OF "Faro." He said that
"iaro" was an Italian word for "honey-
comb" and he considered the name
very appropriate, in consideration of the
honey which Caldwell had gathered
through the ips.rumentslity of his arch
broker, James @. Blaine, and of his |
being gushing receptacle OF precious
treasures extracted for him by active |
and disisterested Blaine. Caldwell had |
adopted the dispatch concoc ed for him,
but he would just as readily adopt dis. |
patch requesting him to say that Blaine |
stood by and gave directions when God |
Almighty wheeled the dirt of which |
the world was made.
Mr.. Frye replied to the speech of Mr..
Knott. He said be did not know when
he was more panied than be was to-
day, or when his feelings had been so
wounded rs they had been to-day. An
attempt by him to review the testimony
under Mr.. Tarbox's resolution was en-
tirely unnecessary, and an attempt to
review and pronounce judgment on it
by the gentleman from Kentucky
Knot I, when that case had been post.
poned until next December, was with
ont the slightest justification in honor or
parliamentary law. That testimony,
when it was reported to the house, would
convince beyond doubt every honest,
sincere seeker after the Truth that Mr..
Blaine never had aught to do with the
seventy thousand dollars in the
bonds Of tie Little Rock
and Fort Smith railTaod; bonds
that were purchased by Scott from Cald.
well, and sold to ths Union Pacific rail-
road company. None but mind filled
with jealousy, filed with malice, filled
with wicked purpose would dare pro
nounce judgment on a petr of
his, on the floor Of the house, on any
such testimony as that. He did not pro-
pose to review the testimony in refer
ence to the Caldwell dispatch, but he as-
serted that it failed to show anything as
to Blaine inspiring, or sending, or seek
ing to have sent, any dispatch to Cald.
well. He repeated what himself and
Mr.. Blaine had again and again said to
Mr.. Knott, that he might pursue the in
vestigstioD to the bitter end, and that at
that end he would not find Blaine. No
mind that was not made reckless by Bit
terness, by malice, by a wicked purpose,
would ever dare assert that Blaine insti-
gated, stood over and helped on Cald-
Wells clerk (Reed) to publish these dis
patches. When Mr.. Blaine was on the
e 1oor the gentleman from Kentucky had
not attempted to make an attack on
him. He had undertaken feeble and
unworthy defense against Blaine's
friends, and had asked him to agree to a
report that should eXculpate. They
said he desired exculpation because
he had unfriendly looks from his
own side of the house. He had learned
gradually to have confidence in that
gentleman, to admire and to love him,
and he had exculpated him, and said
that he had kept back that telegrsm in
good faith, but the exhibition of malice
which the gentleman from Kentucky
had dared to make in the absence of Mr..
Blaine had Satisfied him that he had not
learned that gentlemen Mr.. Knott in
the deep recesses Of his heart. TnRt
gentleman knew God had struck down
Mr.. Blaine; that for two and half days
be had never uttered one word; had
never recognized his wife or child, and
yet he stood up in the house in the abb
sence Of Mr.. Blaine and insinusted it
wss all a parJ OF the play; that Mr..
Blaine was great and leading charac-
ter in it, and that he played his part ad-
mirsbly. A msD who would do that
showed q malice filling his heart, driv-
ing out discretion; driving out justice;
driving out affection; driving out ali
that is good, and pure, and holy,
and filling 1t entirely with It's
own devilish and wicked form. If
it was there to-day in vigorous life,
it was there when the telegram from
Caldwell wSs received originally. Hit
was there then, he would say to the Re-
publican members of the house that
they would be justified in voting to q
man that the report Of the judiciary
committee was not a righteous, and just
and fair report, and that 1t ought to be
submitted to committee for amend.
ment.
Mr.. HuntoD, q member Of the judicis-
~ committee, referred to sIemark made
by Mr.. Frye to the effect that no men,
Der Of the subcommittee had linger-
ing suspicion that Mr.. Blaine had any