The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-10-29
Mr.. VAN HOoERBEKE IN ROCK ISLAND

date for secretary Of state Mr.. Van Hooe
. beke pronounced as if written Van He
~ beck is 81 years Of age, was born 10 I'll
city OF Client, famous city of Belgium
the capital Of East Flanders, and came I
this country in ls50-eighleen years agt
being then about 10 years of age. His pr
rents settled in Missouri. In 1853, Gustt
vus, then being about 81 took up his res
: dence in Carlysle, Clinton county, this stat,
{ and commenced the practice Of law. II
possesses n classical education, speaks an
writes the Flemish, the French and the Ger
man languages with remarkable Auency
writes an elegant hand, and is a most ac
comphshed accountant. He stands high il
the estimation Of ell who know him, az al
accomplished lawyer, an eloquent and forci
bic speaker, and au upright, honest man.
His election to the office Of secretary O
state would be blessing to all our citizen,
Of foreign birth.
The White Boys in Blue turned out Il
greet him, here, in large numbers, both So
niors and Juniors, and after giving three
cheers for him, at tho Rodman House, es
corted him TO the court house, where he was
introduced by Jacob Norris, Esq. The
house was densely packed, and great many
went away unable even to get within hear.
ing, in the hall.
Mr.. Van Hooerbeke prefaced his speech by
a few remarks TO his German friends in
their own language. But his main speech
was made in the English language, which
he speaks with remarkable clearness and
correctness. He uses no offensive epithets,
and says nothing to wound the feelings of
any man but addresses himself to the bet
ter judgment Of republicans, endcnvoring
TO show them that the policy being pursued
by their leaders is not the best policy for
the mass of the people Of this country. He
paid handsome tribute to the honesty of
the mass of both parties and their desire to
adopt the best policy for the country, and
then proceeded to contrast and compare the
policies Of each party in most mastery
manner. He said that the republicans
claimed that the debt was caused by dem.
ocratic war. Of course every one knows
that the democratic party was not response.
bic for the war every one knows that it |
was caused by northern and southern ianat
ics-the aggressions Of northern abolition.
lists upon the lawful rights of shareholders,
and that the southern people first rebelled |
and seeded from the democratic party, and |
then from the Union, while the democratic !
and republican parties stood by the govern.
ment, and together put down the rebellion.
But, said he, suppose we admit that the re.
publicsns are right when they cay that the
democrats were the cause of the debt-what
does it prove? DO they propose to repudi.
ate the debt on that ccOunt2 No. Well, then,
let US stop quibb'ing about things, which
can do no good, and 20 to work and see
how 1t is best to pay the debt. Then came
one of the clearest aud most convincing
arguments we have yet heard, in favor of
| paying the debt in lawful money, AZ fast az
possible, thus stopping interest and bring
ing the money under taxation. lie com
pared, in detail, this policy with that of the
republicans, who propose to fund the debt
into 40 year bonds principal and interest
payable in gold, aud showed the dangerous
tendencies of large public debt, aud the
injustice to the ax.payer5 of the course the
republican leaders are pursuing. He then
showed how we can extnguish large por,
ton of the debt and save eighteen millions
year by exchanging the national bank
notes for legal tender,, or, as they are gen.
orally d-greenbacks then how the
expenses of the government could be redu.
ced, by abolshiug the freedmen's bureau;
reducing the army and navy cutting down
the enormous list Of civil officers, and col
lecting the federal revenue through state
officers. He showed that the republican
party was the only reputation party in the
land that they repudisted the contract by
which they promised gold to soldiers that
they passed law authorizing men who Dor.
rowed gold and promised to pay gold, to
pay in paper and that they now propose
to repudiate the contract made with the |
boudholders TO pay them in lawfdI money |
by proposing to pay them in gold. Next |
came discussion Of the tariff, wherein he |
showed that the New England manufacturing |
interest had caused the duties to be increas- |
ed to an average Of G3 per cent, and while,
in this way, they had collected some hun
bred aud fifty millions of money they had
| exempted five millions of home manutac
lures from taxation aud compelled the peo
| pie to pay for these manufactures price
largely increased by the exhorbitant duty
while the government received not one cent
of it--every cent of it going from the peck
| cts of the consumer to the pockets of the
manufacturer.
And thus, for two hours and a half, did
this man speak, upon all the questions at
issue between the parties, and yet the audi
ence did not seem at al weary and the
crowd was as great as ever. His speech
brought forth the most enthusiastic ap
plsuSe, and often the whole audience would
break out into spontaneous and hearty
cheers. His illustrations we're sharp and
appropriate, and an occasional anecdote,
aptly applied set the house in roar OF
laughter. 10 say that the democrats were
pleased with him docs not BEGIN to exnress