Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1907-12-18
FINE BEARD COUNTRY
Champ Clark Hurries to Capital
to Defend Missouri Variety.
GREATEST IN THE WORLD"

conarossman Cites Two Boards, ohe
Nine and the Other Eleven Feet
Longevity He Considers WhisI<ers
Indioss Of Character.
Champ Clark, congressman from
Pike county, Mo-. is among those who
have arrived In Washington for the
coming session Of congress, says a spe-
eial dispatch to the New York Times
Some fellow In Washington recently
made the statement that he knew a
man who had beard seven feet long.
'Thats no beard at ALL" said Mr..
Clark, and he wrote a letter to the
washington Post telling about a man
In Pike county who had a beard as is a
beard. The public not being fully sat
lshed the congressman from Pike went
On to Washington two weeks earlier
than be intended to see about 1t.
BE gave out an interview on the
subject the other day, and If any one
further questions that Missouri pro-
duces the greatest whiskers in the
world the matter will be brought m
IN congress and a special Investigation
asked for.
"Judge Elijah Gates" said Mr..
Clark, has a beard nine feet and a
half long. He lives in my county, lust
. few miles from my house, and
know him very well. But his whis-
ksrS are not any special curiosity, be-
cause there Is a man a few miles far
ther down the road who has a beard
eleven and a half feet long. This
mans name is Valentine Tapley.
know him very well.
These fellows make me think n
mans character can be told by his
whlskers. Now, Elijah Gates is a puR-
nacious kind Of fellow, not a scrapper
q brawler, you understand, but of
stubborn type of man. His whiskers
are right stiff, like horses name. But
Valentine Tapley-his are soft as silk.
and Tapley Is mild hammered and thor
oughly agreeable, one of those unanI-
nous sort of fellows.
"Of course these fellows do not wear
their boards down all the time. They
couldn't do 1t without tying a knot in |
them like a horses tail. But they |
wear 'em inside their vests in silk
bags. Old man Tapley takes his out |
Oncs or twice year for the benefit of |
his neighbors. Old man Elijah Gates |
takes his out, too, but only to comb II.
BE has one of those sugar tree combs
made for it. and he combs it with
that"
Mr. Clark has no suggestion Of a
AiESute adornment on his classic face.
No one Is therefore able to read his
character from his beard. If he had
enc, though, it would probably not be
soft and silken like Valentine Tap
ley's, for Mr.. Clark is not unanimous.
In addition to this whiskers matter
upon which he is engaged, he is pre-.
pairing himself for a fight against the
california congressman who have
pSen trying for several years to put
put OF business the greatest winery in
ne world, which is Pike county, Mo-
Fhey propose to do 1t by having all
vine In the making of which sugar Is
eaed termed adulterated wine or arti-
cial wine.
This is because out in California
mere Is a grape, the only one In the
ord, which has enough natural sugar
II to make wine without any addi-
Oaal sugar." he said. "FOr several
OccsssiVe years they have been try
all sorts Of schemes to declare that
Re only pure wine.
I went over to see DIR. Wiley about
s thing several years ago. before we
"a any pure food law, when he was
Oout to declare the wine made with
osar adulterated under an old statute
nlch declared that there should be
artain fixed standards of things. like
birth.
Ahey introduced a bill In congress
AI killed that, and now they are
lOlng to introduce another. and I'll
ave to fight that"
90 1t Is wine and Yhiskers which
ing Champ Clark back to Washing
y TWO things which he is usually
ought to have no interest in at all.
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