Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-05-16
HON. CHAMP CLARK.
A Glimpse OF His Life From the
Mountains Of Kentucky to the
Halls OF Congress.

Champ Clark has made 4 tour OF the
Territory and goes to Iowa to make
speeches on free silver in that state.
He has met here in every city appre-
ciativc audiences who endorsed every
word of his silver u~tterances. He has
been Oklahoma's friend and Oklaho-
ma i'll return appreciates him for his
full value. His birth and training
make him a true man of the people
and he is ever loyal to them.
Champ Clark was born 45 years ago
in 1.-The hill country of Anderson oun
ty. Kentucky, " as he puts it. He says
he never saw q mosquito or a steam
boat and never was outside of the
state until he was - years old, and
that all three of those things happened
at ono He Is a large man, standing
over six feet and weighing over 200.
lie is a typical Kentuckian trans
planted at an early age to the rich
soil of Missouri. In Congress no man
vas prouder of the great southwest or
said more good things about it.
In his life he has done several things
worked as Il hired farm hand, clerk
ed in a country store, edited a
try newspaper and at 81 was president
of a college. Eor Is years he has been
a successful lawyer.
One of his fayorites in his lecture on
"The Picturesque Men of the Fifty
Third Congress" is Judge Culbertson,
of Texas. Perhaps no other portion
| of il is delivered with such force and
fire. He seem to love the greatTeXan
with the fervor of a son. No doubt it
is because their minds and tastes both
run to the criminal law. His closing
paragraph on Culbertson is well
worthy of being preserved i'll every
scrapbook in the land. 1t uns as fol-
lows:
"As a lawyer Judge Culbertson has
always had a large, lucrative and vari-
gated practice. His r as a Grim
inal lawyer is astounding and places
him at the head of that class of prac-
titioners in America, perhaps in the
world. He has defended 10 men for
murder in the first degree and saved
all their necks. Only think of that!
One hundred and ten human lives
saved by the energy, eloquence, cour-
age and skill of man! | doubt
very much if that record has been
equailed since Moses wrote the first
criminal code on tables of stone amid
the ~lightnings and thunders of Mount
Sinai. If in the great Judgment day
mercy is melted ont to him in the same
liberal manner i'll which he has caused
it to be meted out to others in this
lower world, then this iilustrious sol
der, statesman and jurist a read
his title clear to mansions in the
skies"
held several offices, beginning with
City Attorney of Louisiana, Mo-, and
winding up with a term in Congress.
His many friends here hope that in
stead of having finished his career he
has only begun it.
In some of his references to his fell
low Congressman he evidently has in
mind his experiences. In his
very friendly picture of julius Cesar
Burrows, "the great Michigander," as
he calls him, occurs this humorous
and delicious passage;
From the humblest beginnings,
Burrows has risen to national emf
nence. His public life has been like a
certain species of feyer-intermittent.
His congressional career has been
somewhat broken up by the vicissi-
tudes of politics. Like many others,
he has suffered from landslides and
tidal waves. He understands how it
feels to walk the plank" and then
with q sort of gleeful chuckle he adds,
"and speaking from knowledge, I as
sure you there are more cheerful ex-
p~eriences beneath the sun"
Mr.. Clark has a wife and two chill
dren-a 5-year-old son and a s.
months-old daughter. His little son,
Bennett, attended the sessions Of Con-
gress nearly as regularly as his father
and the newspaper correspondents at
Washington gave the little fellow
some pleasant %write-ups about his
bright sayings and cute capers. When,
on one occasion he walked between
the teliers with his father, Walter
Stevens, OF the Globe Democrat. pub
lisfed half column of chat about him;
also his picture, with the legend, 'The
Missouri boy who voted" Mr.. Clark
writes this little chap a letter every
day, no matter where he is.
If it is sweet to be among ones
friends, Champ Clark will certainly
enjoy this tour of Oklahoma, where
the people vie with each other to
make him happy.