Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-30
PROCTOR KNOTS GREAT spgEoH

A
| Congressman Knott's own account of how
he came to deliver his humorous speech il
| congress on Duluth: my Duluth speech
was partially prepared, but most of ii
/ came to me while was on the floor. The
speech had something of history. The
land subsidy bill was up in the house. II
was near the close of the session, and when
l had returned from Kentucky, where had
been suddenly called by the illness of my
brother Dawes, and several members came
to me and told me they want
ed me to make a speech upon it.
1 replied that had had trouble in get
ting the floor and it was so near the end
of the session that 1 did not want to pre-
pare a speech on the subject without know
ing positively that 1 would have chance
to deliver it. They assured me that they
would provide the chance. They would ar
range the matter with the speaker and L
should be recognized. l then went to
work, investigated the subject and spent
days in preparing an elaborate speech
upon it. The subject at last came up in
the house. l tried to get the floor several
times, but some one always got the speak
er's eye before me. Again l was ready,
and the subject failed to come up, and at
last when it did come Mr.. Holman, of In
diana. got in ahead of me, but at this
time the house adjourned without hearing
him, giving him the right to the floor
when the bill next came up. l then went
to Mr.. Holman, told him that l had
a prepared speech on the subject, and at
whose instance had prepared it. 1 asked
1 ,1,-bA To tho Hnny or ~
least part of his time. To my surprise he
refused to do so. was then in despair,
and was feeling very blue as walked down
through the rotunda of the capitol Here
l met Mr.. Kerr, and he, seeing was out OF
sorts, asked me what the matter was.
told him. He then said he would see Hol-
man, and would, he thought, get me part
OF his time at least. This was on Friday.
"On the next Thursday morning very
polite, pleasant gentleman came into my
room and told me that on the following
Wednesday bill would come up to i'm
prove the harbor at Duluth. 1 turned to
him and said with an honest questioning
smile: My FREUD, will you please tell me
where Duluth tsp Of course l knew its
situation. but I wanted him to understand
that l did not think much of his
bill, and thus the easier refuse his request.
He did not see the irony of the remark,
bat put his hand into his breast pocket,
pulled out a map and handed it to me. AS
soon as 1 looked at it 1 saw that here was
the finest field for funny speech that had
ever been presented in the country. No
one can rightly appreciate that speech
without having seen that map. On its
face the whole civilized world was drawn
in circles. These circles became smaller
and smaller, until they terminated in adot
at the center, and at that dot was written
the word Duluth On the different Cir
cles were the words one hundred miles
from Duluth, two hundred miles from Du-
luth, three hundred miles from Duluth,
one thousand miles from Duluth, four
thousand miles from Duluth, and so on.
All the great cities of the country were
noticed, and their distance from Duluth
given. Chicago, st. Louis, San Francisco
and New York on that map looked like ham
lets compared with Duluth. And the dis
lance from Liverpool, London, and Con-
stantinople we're given, as though Duluth
was co-eQuel with them. Below it was
printed numerous statistics, showing that
there were two million square miles
all tributary to Duluth. I looked at the
map while the bland young man delivered
his eulogy of this prospective metro polls,
and as he closed said:Would you have any
objection to leaving me this map. 1 must
consider the matter. live in the interior
of Kentucky, in a defle way up at the
head of little creek, and most OF my con-
stituents never see ship. L have to be
very careful il my conduct in congress to
not displease them-and went on for some
time in this manner. Strange to say, he
suspected nothing. He not only cheerfully
lent me that map, but he gave it to me. As
he left my room he turned back and said :
Mr.. Knott, after you have studied that
map I hope you will go for our BILL
eyes," said I, "Pll 60 for it," never saw
him afterward. On going to the capitol
could not keep the fun out of my mind.
1t took entire possession of me and staid
with me. 1 then saw Mr.. Kerr. He told
me that Holman had consented to let me
have the half hour. It then occurred to
me that as Superior city was near Duluth,
and almost connected with it, that could
make some funny remarks about Duluth
in the introduction of my speech on the
land subsidy, get the good will of the
house and have my time extended lndei-
nitely, so that / could deliver my prepared
speech. l sent for Fridays Globe and
by the next day had thought out many
things which I used in the speech. But
the great part of it came from the inspira
ton of the moment. The situation was
peculiarly favorable. Every word seemed
to be appreciated, and the mind
of the audiencd responded in perfect har-
mony with NINE After I had spoken out
my half hour, was forced to go on in the
same strain or to risk failure in the sud
den change to my sober and carefully pre-
pared sobriety speech. I saw my danger
and wound up as began. The other
speech over which had spent days OF
labor was never delivered.'
''Were you not astonished at the recep-
ton of your speech by the country" 1
asked.
YES" was the reply, Il was never more
astonished in my life. 1t was delivered
late in the evening, and the house adjourn
ed Immediately thereafter. The next
morning the journals of the country were
full of it, and at the capitol every one was
laughing over it, and congratulating me.
AN OLD TRAGEDY RECALLED.
Theory of Former Detectire Relative to
the BurdeU Murder Case.
William B. Moore, now treasurer of a