New-York tribune., 1880-02-21
i a10sr Hru0PIsT9 RECOVERED.

Il is now more than three years since IHE
TRIBUNE remarked with regret that Congress
and the country had lost one of it's most sue
cessful hunorists by the accession OF the Dem
ocrahc party to u majority in the House and
the assumption 10y Mr. Proctor Knott, oi
Kentucky. of the role of statesman. MIR.
Knott had done well az a humOrIst; had
been widely quoted, and achieved the no
lice Of Mr.. Samuel Cox, IN his cele-
braied work, "Wby We Laugh" We did
not believe he would succeed so we'll as states
man. He hasn't. But he was weighed down
bv 4 sense Of responsibility when his party
came to power, and there being no other
high tragedy talent III the company at
that time, he took the Chairmausmp Of
the Judiciary Committee began to look
serious and talk wise, and to play
statesman. lie has made--and we say 1t
with no disrespcct--a bad failure of it, though
there Is no doubt he has done the best he
could We congratulate the country upon
symptoms recently developed of returning
sanity. On TUESDAY In the House he made a
speech on the bill relating to the removal OF
causes from the State courts which had really
the old flavor IN it, bringing the great Duluth
speech freshly back to mind Beginning with
a reference TO "the extraordinary multiphca-
" ton and enormous aggrandizement' OF cor
poutiQns organized for every conceivable
purpose that cnpidiy or caprice can sug-
gcst.n he said of them Turn which way
we will we are confronted by these ideal
entities, these incorpOreal, Intangible facui-
ties, these giowess, souless, bloodless be-
"ings whom an omnipotent God never
"crcated. and for whom there is no provision
d" in the plan of salvation" And here, for the
Gsst time since he began playing statesman,
we find the report punctuated with the old
familiar "[Laughtcr.T
After this he drops into the statesman busi-
ness Tor Il column or two, but later resumes
the old style, aud commenting upon decision
OF the Supreme Court, concerning corpora
tlons. says 1--WE quote from the official report
Eit lea H. sec sr now this singular hypothesis or
supreme Court squares with some OF tho most
dnary and universally recognized rights and duties OF
citizenship II corporation Is citizen OF the state
whioh created ii. 10 l., by yriuo of that character
ciE.n ~ me Unied states a-o. II. therefore 10 has
bccu -n c1st nee twenty ave years, and an nhabaut
Of the state by NDich u created, as tho Court
y IL h. 70 may bee elected TO Congress; or II il has
been for thirty years U be chosen by the
state IDgsllture ~ Unca States Senator or, with
ont regard the dtto " D., incorporation, may be
pointed nu el-ctor Of President aud vcrresdcnt and
II the courts had ony gone step further and
sircd II to br natural born citizen" 1t might la time
a,nire Go either Of those exalted oces, be
stoned a. General ~ the Army. sent Minister Pen
uotrrt,ry aud ambassador Extraordinary some for
eign court. lTaughtcrI Unfortunately however. for
the aspirations OF these newiangiod citizens. SIR Ed
ward Coke more than hundred Years before Gov
rrnment dreamed of. suggested little difficulty in
their way which, under our COn-tuOn. is perhaps
.npetable They cannot tako the OItn," either iron
clad or " modified" lGreat Iaughterl
According 10 the same distinguished authority. how
eyer they enjoy certain immunries which their less
fortunate fei Ow-oItIsns cannot claim. and which
IN s,tue measure compcn ,ate FOR their incapacty
o. held onc,. lie says they cannot commit
rea.on felony or other crime. suffer arators or
a feon'. punishment. They are not liable TO cor
uorral penalties and cannot De committed To prison.
for their existence being idcal no them
nor cuu they iied up She whipping post aud having
o .uul. 10 save they totally unconcorned about the
doctrines OF Plymouth Church or the mistakes Of
Moses" llaugntrr.l
Hut sir there Is nothing all this that be 80 CON
strne as 10 corporation from the performance
~ military dutv; and they enjoy many advantages
ovpr their feLow-cttz, ms IN other Gets, they
should certainly be required TO take their chances
in the tented ncld aud "on the terrible ridge
al hattie" In TACT I am inclined TO thuk. SIR,
that in many particulars an army Of corporations
wound prove a decided success. Bong inoorporral 1t
vould have NO need ~ camp oqupage quartormastrrs
commls.atys or medical stores. 50 toe Government
could not only save millions upon millions OF dollars
that account, put dispense With the innumerabe
host OF stad officers with which tho service
is now infested. [iaughtcrl Beng Invisible,
soldiers could steal upon tae enemy unawnrcs and
"smte MIN hip and thigh" without mucn "a being
seen [Rcnewed laughterl Being Intangible 1t would
be- impossible for any OF them to be wounded, 81 We
womld medical and surgical histories print
an enormous expense, and floods Of
valid pension bills crOwdlng tho Private Calen-
dar unugnter.l Having no bowels they could not
suaer from camp diarrhGa; and being immortal
they could not killed IN battle, or If they could be II
,yol make no difference to them. they have no souls
IN be damned In any event IGreat laughter.l How
they would behave or what execution they might do IN
an actual fight I am unable to say, but Is one
ming of which have doubt whatever. and that is
i've Them half q chance and they would be pretty GER
in 70 get away with the bulk OF the enemys supplies
(Laughterl
Snoce .forbids more extended quotation,
hut this is enough, we believe, to show
that the Congressional humOrist. whose disap-
noorance we recorded three years ago. has
nocu recoyered--Or rather has recovered him-
self The country will hail 1t as one of the
most encouraging signs of the present politi-
col situation, for Mr.. Knott was always fun
nv when his party was in the minority;
and it has been only the sense of RESPONSE
bility that came with party success that de-
messed him into craftsmanship. His feeling
40 much better now il II sign that he is look
ING forward 10 restoration OF the old
fines when he was in the minority, and
could laugh and kicp up his heels in
tbe sawdust without being held to
strict accountability. He foresees the
swift-coming time when he and his party
will have no responsibility whatever, and he
indulgcs in his old mcTiment in anticipation
of 1t. We accordingly hasten TO assure him