The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-12-31
THE ZENITH CITY.

HE ZENITH sUlI T..
Story Of Proctor knott's Famous
5s8 Speech in Congress on -
q. ...5 ]: 81 Duluth.
Frequent references made by Megargee
of the Philadelphia Times to Proctor
Knott's famous Duluth speech, coupled
with the. uncontrndicted statement that
the author was Col. +. Donan, has led
to numerous Inquiries for copies Of the
speech, which was printed in the Con-
gressional Globe, Forty-frst Congress,
third session, part l., January p, 1871.
It is also published in Thomas Y. Cooper's
"American Politics." book Ill, page 1914.
d Knots speech did not excite much Mt
tention in Congress where it was deliv-
cred. 1t was mumbled from manuscript
in Il low tone of voice, and Congressman
James r. Young. who was present on
that occasion as a correspondent, is au-
thority for the statement that the news
paper boys did not know what Knott was
talking about. However, when it ap-
peared in printed form the newspaper
men and the American people were con-
WINGED that a new national humOrist had
been discovered and Proctor Knott be-
came famous in day. He was inine-
diately engaged by 7. B. Pugh-then one
successor in this city is Miss Harris--to
travel through the country as congress
slonal funny man, and he appeared in
this city i'll the Academy of Music as
one of the attractions of the Star course
Of lectures. But, strangely enough, it
was discovered that Knott was not a lit
tie bit funny. AS a humorist he was ii
vi<r0 p,fif c.,s1
tation gained by the Duluth speeeh; how
ever, still gave him fame, and was re-
sponsible for his being nominated and
elected governor of Kentucky A still
higher honor awaited him-a higher hon
or certainly in the blue grass region-in Il
famous racing horse being given his
name. When, however, he aspired to be-
come Il United States senator it was
openly stated that Proctor Knott was a
fraud humorist and literary borrower.
HIS supporters We're confronted with an
speech was written by COL p. DOMAIN,
who was then, and even to this day is,
noted as employing a wonderful vocabu-
larry in booming the lands and railroads
OF the great Northwest Col. DOMAIN
never openly. declared that he wrote the
Knott speech, nor has he ever denied
that he did. He is silent upon the sub
Ject: But in the senatorial fight referred
to Proctor Knott was dared to DENY tina
DOMAIN was the author of the words that
brought the kentucky congressman fame
and he made no answer. That failure to
reply to the accusation cost him the SEN
atorship. He was defeated for the nomi
nation.
At the time of delivery of the speech
the House of Representatives had under
consideration joint resolution extending
the time to construct Il railroad from St.
Lake Superior and to Bayfield,. After
talking at considerable length about "the
eddying sands of the raging St. Croix,''
and after stating that he was utterly at
a loss to determine where the terminus
Of the road should be, he said that he
accidentally overheard some gentlemen
mention the name of Duluth. Then he
continued in mock rhapsody:
Duluth! The word fell upon my ear with
a peculiar and indescribable charm, like the
gentle murmur Of a low fountain stealing
forth in the midst Of roses, or the soft, sweet
accents of an angels whisper in the bright,
Joyous cream OF sleeping innocence.
Duluth! Twas the name for which my
soul had painted for years, as the hart pant
eth for the water brooks. But where was
h pu1uth? -; Never in all my limited reading
celestial word in print. And 1 felt a pro
found humiliation in my ignorance that its
dulcet -, sy vi had never before ravished
in hs bill had SeFt9 5sad the
Of the termini of this road 1 asked nv
friends about about It, and they knew nothing Of
all the maps could find. discovered in
one Of them a delicate hairlike line. diverg-
ing from the Mississippi near a place
marked Prescott, which supposed was in
thn rixy g.
could nowhere find Duluth. Nevertheless. I
was confident it existed somewhere and that
Its ern co cry would constitute the growing
modern times. I knew it was bound to ex-
list In the very nature of things; that the
symmetry and perfection of our planetary
system would be incomplete without it:
that the elements of material nature would
long since have resolved themselves back in
to original chaos if there had been such a
hiatus in creation as would have resulted
was overwhelmed with the conviction S' tiatt
Duluth not only existed somewhere, but
that wherever it was it was a great and
glorious place: | was convinced, that the
greatest calamity that ever befell the be-
nighted nations Of the ancient world was in
their having passed away without knowl-
edge of the actual existence of Duluth; that
hnG1p fa6le Hsan nj meyer seen save by the
in fact, but another name for Duluth; that
the golden orchard of the Hesperides was
but poetical synonym for the beer gardens
in the vicinity of Duluth. ! was certain
that Herodotus had died a miserable death
because in all his travels and with all his
geographical research he had never heard of
Duluth. l knew that if the immortal spirit
of Homer could look down from another
heaven than that created by his own celes-
tial genius upon the long lines of pilgrims
from every nation of the earth to the gush-
of his magic wand; if he could be permitted
to behold the vast assemblage of grand and
glorious productions of the lyric art. called
into being by his own Inspired strains, he
stead Of lavishing all the stores Of his
mighty genius upon the fall of Ilion, it had
not been his more blessed lot to crystalze
uth Yes SIR had It not s Been FOR this 81 map
kindly furnished me by the Legislature of
Minnesota, might have gone down to my
obscure and humble grave in an agony of
despair; because | could nowhere find Du-
luth Had such been my melancholy. fate.
have no doubt that with the last feeble
pulsation of my breaking heart, with the
| should have whispered Where is Du..
But. thanks to the beneficence of that
Dan9 OF mlnlstering angels who have their
nesota, just as the agony of my anxiety was
about to eliminate in the frenzy of despair,
this blessed map was placed in my hands,
and as unfolded it a respondent scene of
Imagined burst upon the enraptured vision
OF the wandering peri through the opening
gates of Paradise. There, there, for the
first time my enchanted eye rested upon the
ravishing word ''Duluth!'' This map, sir,
is intended, as it appears from its title, to
illustrate the position of Duluth in the
United States but If gentlemen will exam
Inc 1t, think they will concur with me in
the opinion that it is far too modest in it's
pretensions: It not only illustrates the po-
sition of Duluth in the United States, but
exhibits -, it's relations with all created
things, 1t even goes further than this. 1t
lifts the shadowy vale Of futurity and
affords us a view of the golden prospects
Of Duluth far along the dim vista of ages
yet to come.
If gentlemen will examine it, they will
find Duluth not only in the center of the
map, but represented in the center of a
series Of concentric circles 100 miles apart,
and some of them as much as 1000 miles
in diaNeter, embracing alike, in their ire
mendous sweep the fragrant savannas of
the sunlit South and the eternal solitudes of
snow that mantle the .ice-bound North.
How these circles were produced is per-
haps one of those primordial mysteries that
the most skilled paleologist will never be
able to explain. But the fact Is, sir. Du-
luth is -eminently a central point, for
am told by gentlemen who have been so
SOf RI