he Piegans "vast herds of buffalo" and "immense fields of rich wheat
lands."

(Here the hammer fell.)

(Many cries: "Go on!" "Go on!")

The Speaker. Is there objection to the gentleman from Kentucky
continuing his remarks? The Chair hears none. The gentleman will
proceed.

Mr. Knott. I was remarking, sir, upon these vast "wheat fields"
represented on this map as in the immediate neighborhood of the
buffaloes and the Piegans, and was about to say that the idea of there
being these immense wheat fields in the very heart of a wilderness,
hundreds and hundreds of miles beyond the utmost verge of civilization,
may appear to some gentlemen as rather incongruous, as rather too great
a strain on the "blankets" of veracity. But to my mind there is no
difficulty in the matter whatever. The phenomenon is very easily
accounted for. It is evident, sir, that the Piegans sowed that wheat
there and plowed it with buffalo bulls. (Great laughter.) Now, sir, this
fortunate combination of buffaloes and Piegans, considering their
relative positions to each other and to Duluth, as they are arranged on
this map, satisfies me that Duluth is destined to be the beef market of
the world.

Here, you will observe (pointing to the map), are the buffaloes,
directly between the Piegans and Duluth; and here, right on the road to
Duluth, are the Creeks. Now, sir, when the buffaloes are sufficiently
fat from grazing on these immense wheat fields, you see it will be the
easiest thing in the world for the Piegans to drive them on down, stay
all night with their friends, the Creeks, and go into Duluth in the
morning. (Great laughter.) I think I see them now, sir, a vast herd of
buffaloes, with their heads down, their eyes glaring, their nostrils
dilated, their tongues out, and their tails curled over their backs,
tearing along toward Duluth, with about a thousand Piegans on their
grass-bellied ponies yelling at their heels! (Great laughter.) On they
come! And as they sweep past the Creeks, they join in the chase, and
away they all go, yelling, bellowing, ripping, and tearing along, amid
clouds of dust, until the last buffalo is safely penned in the
stockyards of Duluth! (Shouts of laughter.)

Sir, I might stand here for hours and hours, and expatiate with rapture
upon the gorgeous prospects of Duluth, as depicted upon this map. But
human life is too short and the time of this House far too valuable to
allow me to linger longer upon the delightful th