Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-23
KNOTS DULUTH SPEECH.
The Accidental Way in Which Cen.
gress and the Country Were
Set TO Roaring.
Surprised AT its Receptions.
CIsveland Lsadsr,. wasAiarton Lsllsr.

" iAiA ASAANu dh0u du Easy lOunkt
He excused himself from rising on
he plea of i'll health, and motioned
ne to a chair. SIR. Knott is now 90
fears of age, but his hair is gray and
his moustache as white as silver. His
ace is round and ford, and his fore
lead high and broad, his eyes sharp
lad full OF fun. His mouth showed
.aughing lines of wrinkles, and his
whole c%ountensnce shines with the
,il Of good fellowship, and acting,
thinking brain power. His form has
none Of the lean e~xtenuation of the
average Kentuckian. He is hardly OF
medium hight, and he has much flesh
and fat on his bones to even make
a desirable subject for dissection.
He is a Kentuckian by birth. has
two terms as Attorney Gene
raj in Missouri, and now represents a
district for the twelfth year
in Congress. Mr.. Knott is a very
popular Congressman, and ranks as
one of the ablest Democrats at Wash
On my asking him as TO the above
he said it was q mistake. He
had written nothing as yet, and had
not decided that he would write any
thing in the future. His friends had
been urging him to do so, but he did
not see where he could find the time.
Many "reminiscences he could recall
which he thought would make inter.
reading, but as to putting them
in a book he could not say whether
he would do 50 or not.
| here referred to his
SPEECH ON DULUTH,
which created so much laughter ovel
the country some years ago, and asked
him if ii was a prepared one, OIL
whether all of its wit had been the
offspring OF the spur of the moment
Mr.. Knott said: My Duluth speech
was partially prepared, but most of il
cane to me while | was on the floor
The speech had something Of a his
tory. The Land Subsidy Bill was up
in the House, 1t was near the close
OF the session when | returned from
Kentucky, where | had been suddenly
by the illness of my brother
Dawes, and several members came to
me and told me they wanted me ia
make a speech upon it. ITeplied that
| had had trouble in getting the floor,
and it was SO near the end OF the ses-
sion that | did not want to prepare a
on the subject without know.
ing positively that [ would have a
chance to deliver it. They assured me
that they would provide the chance.
They would arrange the matter with
the Speaker, and | should be recog.
nized. | then went to work, lnvesti
gated the subject and spent days in
preparing an elaborate speech upon il
The subject at last came up in the
House. | tried to get the floor a mum.
Der Of times. but some one always gol
the Speakers eye before me. Again
was ready, and the subject failed tc
up, and at last when it did come
Mr.. Holman, of Indiana. got in ahead
Of me, but at this time the House ad.
without hearing him, giyinl
him the right to the floor when the
bill next came up. | then went tc
Mr.. Holman. told him that | had Q
prepared speech on the subject, and
at whose instance | had prepared it
| asked him to give me his right to The
or at least a part Of his time.
TO MY SURPRISE
be refused to do so. | was then il
despair, and was feeling very blue as
walked ao%H through Inc rotunda o
the capital. Here | met Mr.. Kerr
and he, seeing | was out of sorts
me what the matter was. Il,
then said he would see Holman, anC
would, he thought, get me a part O
his time at least. This was on Friday
"0n the next Thursday morning f.
very polite, pleasant gentleman cam,
into my room aud told me that on th.
following Wednesday a bill woulc
como up to improve the harbor a
Duluth. | turned to him and sale
with an honest, questioning smile
My friend, will you please tell mt
where Duluth is2' OF ~courselI knew
its situation, but | wanted him 4
understand that | did not think much
of his bill, and thus the easier refus,
his request. He did not see the irony
OF the remark, but put his hand into
his breast pocket and pulled out a maj
and handedit to me. As soon as
looked at it | saw that here was the
finest field for afunny speech that had
been presented in the country. NJ
one can rightly appreciate that Duluth
without having seen the map
On its face the whole civilized world
was drawn in circles. These circles
became smaller and smaller and
smaller until they terminated in a dot
at the confer, and at that dot was
written the word Duluth On the
different circles were the words LOG
miles from Duluth. 200 miles from
Duluth, 300 miles from Duluth, 1906
miles from Duluth, 1000 miles from
Duluth, and so on, All the great
Of the county were noticed, aud
their distances from Duluth given.
Chicago, st. Louis, San Francisco and
York on hat map looked like
compared with Duluth, and
the distances from Liverpool, Londor
aud Constantinople were given, al
though Duluth was coequal to them
il were printed numerous sta
showing that there was 1000.
600 square miles, all tributary /,
/ looked at the map Will,
the bland young man delivered hi
Of this prospective metropolis
and as ho closed, | said Would yor
have any objections TO leaving me thii
map2 | must consider the matter.
live in the interior Of Kentucky, in
de6le away up at the head Of a littl,
creek and most Of my constituent,
have never seen a ship. l have I,
be very careful in my conduct il
to not displease them
and vent on for some tim,
in this m amer. Strange to say, he sus
pected nothing. He not only cheer
fully lent me that map, but be gave i
to me. As he left my room, he locke,
back aud said: Mr.. Knott, after yot
have Studiedthat map, | hope you will
60 for our till.ii
"'Yes, said |,
f'I'LL GO FOR IT,