The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-11-05

gentucky. Within her borders the
hear grass" begins, moving 70 lnc
northwest, AND the blue grass ehds'
coming from the north n Sat n
Marion county. too. the
.tarts On its journey to the south anu
,outhwest and only a step over tHe
-asey county line, 70 n soul1edSt'
he mountain kiss the blue grass. n
he heart Of Marion county, SITUATE oh
beautiful plateau, is Lebanon,
Whom ne'er d town surpasses.
For honest men and bonny lasSes.
At Lebanon resides in serene re-
jremeut. in the enjoyment q al lhc
felicity that comes 10 the Hldh ~
.nIendid intellect and brilliant lmagl-
oation r Proctor Knott, the scholar
The orator the poet, the jur1st, the
statesman. am induced 10 write
something Of this man =
some siovenly stuff d Mr. Wllilaih =.
Curtis has given the pupAc Dr.
hin, in recent syndicate writings "a
M Deyter Marshall also dropped INTO
more or less fiction on the same SUD
iect some weeks ago, dignifying the
pat Donan claim to knotts hulhor
and declaring that the Dulut speech
finished Knots hopes as d ld"So'
Here is What Curtis says:
hill granting q tract OF land 10
the Bayfeld and st, Croix Hallroau
being under consideration. Mr. fhholt'
Inspired by its opponents, mace d
witty and satirical speech, WAich y
unsurpassed IN CongressIola.
ture. IT is q singular fact that tha
Kentucky REPRESENTATIVES reputation
for wit and satire rests upon no other
foundation. He never mace asIuhny
speecb before or since, although hS
was known for his good stories anu
his ability as a mimic. An eccentric
and brilliant Irish adVenturer hdhieu
Pat Donan, who was connected WIFI
p~ewspapers in the Northwest at uiI-
ferent times, always claimed 10 DC Clto
author of the speech. and MI. hhotl
never took the trouble 10 MAKE .
formal denial. 1t is entirely propapie
that Doran. who was empioyed IN
Washington at that time IN the IN
terests Of a rival proJect, gave MT.
Knott the suggestion and n lnior-
nation upon which his speech was
based, but claims that ne Wrole
it and that Proctor knott comm
st to memory from his manuscript
However that may be, the speech
stands as a model of wit and satire,
and what was intended to be rldlcule
has since become prophecy. Mr.. knott
christened Duluth as "The Zenith CITY
of the Unsainted Seas he described
it's unlimited in 1ronlcal
terms. but, strange to say, the devel-
opment of what was then imaginary
wealth has become an actual, tangible
fact. Mr.. Knots speech reads very
strangely in the light Of the present
prosperity and commercial activity OF
the city.
7. Proctor Knott was born in Marion
county, KY, in 1880. He is a self
educated man. and the scope Of his
learning embraces most of the liter
atufe tina has value in the martS or
intellectual exchanges. At the age OF
1itfont ~ lis
souri,, and the following year he was
admitted to the a Of that State. In
later years his powerful arguments
in Congress against the fourteenth
amendment to the Federal Constitu-
ton extorted from Jeremiah S. Black
the compliment mat a
~profounder exposition of the American
polity Of government a never been
made in either ranch Of the Ameri-
IAN Congress-.
At the age Of twenty-seven Knott
was returned to the House of Repre-
sentatives of the Missouri legislature.
Impeachment proceeding was institu-
ted against an official of the State
government and Knott was appointed
leader of the board of Sc
lected by the House to conduct the
trial. In the Fo~rty-fourth Congress
he was leader of the board of mana
gers, who accused Secretary of Wa
Ct AAS 20 vi tAAS 1OlldlCs ko
greatly did Knott, then twenty-seven
years old, distinguish himself in the
Missouri impeachment case, he was
appointed to supply the vacancy in
the office of attorney general of Mis-
souri,, a position to which he was cho-
sen by the people at the succeeding
election.
The war overturned the real State
government of Missouri, and Knott
%jeturned to his old Kentucky home in
1863 and opened a law office at Leb-
1non. In 1867-until 1870 kentucky
chose congressman in the month Of
August after the term began on the
preceding March 4-Knott was elect
ed a member Of the Fortieth Con-
gross. All Of the Kentucky delegation
were Democrats, and all but Matt
Adams, who had been a major in the
Union army were denied their seats.
1t was In times when thrift and 10y
atty We're twin-when nothing was
odious but treason. Finally, in sheer
shame, all the Kentucky delegation,
but John Young Brown, We're. seated,
though they stole John D. Young's
seat n gave it to Sam Mckee. Brown
was not allowed to AXE the oath. for
a speech he had made in 1861 against
secession. Fact. Among the Ken
lucky members were James B.. Beck,
who subsequently became SO distin-
SulSheU III DOCn houses. and Elijah
Hise, next to Humphrey Marshall. the
most powerful intellect the Mississippi
Valley ever produced, if 1 may venture
a dogmatism that is a fixed belief in
my mind.
Mr.. Curtis says that Knots reputa-
ton for wit and satire rests on no
other foundation than the Duluth
speech, that "he never made a funny
speech before or SINCE Before the
Duluth speech, the session before,
Knott made the speech against the ap-
preparation for paving ~Pennsylvani
avenue that in humor and
fancy the Duluth speech as far as the
Duluth speech surpasses S. S. Cox's
reply to Gurley. Here are passages
After citing what the government had
done to beautify the National Capitol
Knott continued:
If any gentleman entertains a doubt
on this Ioint let him walk through
L~afayettc's Square. Let him swing
around the circle south of the Presi.
GENITAL palace, or stand on the splen
did esplanade in front of the Agricul-
tural Department. Let him sniff the
fragrant air that hangs over the pub
nc gardens. Let him look at the
broad ~prGmenades, paved with i'm.
nense flags of polished sandstone: the
NJf6 nJf.S1NnIin, I-