Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-12-02
FRIEND OF FAMOUS MEN
Ira Ii. Hall. State Pioneer. visiting ReIa-
tiyes-

Ira B. Hall. State Pioneer. visiting ReIa-
tives-
Mr.. and Mrs. Ira l.. Hall. parents of
Mrs. Charles s. Vincent. are visiting
at the Vincent home i'm Davenport
Last Friday Mr.. Hall celebrated his
s9th birthday. His home is on a farm
near Delavan, ILL.,, and he walks in
and cut every day To get his mail and
do marketing. lie attends to the
numerous chores and odd Jobs of
work that arise around every country
home, and takes particular pride i'm
the drove of pigs that he raises
every year and fattens for the mar
Iet. He is hale and active, and he
keeps at work.
"A man will rust out pretty quick
ly,' said he, but il will take him a
long time to wear out. 1t is neces-
sary TO have something to do if you
want to keep going"
Mr.. Hall attributes his heaithful-
ness and longevity. and the preserva-
ton of his faculties. i'm a very large
measure to his lifelong abstinence
from liquor and tobacco. Il did
smoke n little before | was 20 years
of age" he says, - but | gave il up,
and resolved not TO do ii any more.
and | haven't. l begin to feel now
that my habits are pretty firmly
fixed, so that | am not in any great
danger of going back on my record
and dying a confirmed smoker or a
drunkard."
At 50 it would seem that he is com
paratively safe.
Mr. Hall NNas horn, -, N,,,-
not far from the waters of Long Is
land sound. He lived in three of the
New England states. then he tried
Kentucky. and lastly. in 1899, he came
to Illinois, settling at Springfield
He later moved to Delavan. In
Springfield he entered the hotel bus
mess as a clerk in the largest house
i'm the town of that early day. and
he opened his own house in DeIavan.
and operated it for years. 1t is when
the men who stopped with
him. during those years. before, dur
ing. and after the war. that Mr.. Hall
is most animated and at his best. lie !
does not live in the past. for he is |
alert and well posted |
ON matters of policies and policy of |
today. but ne retains the keenest |
of the men of the old |
days, and he likes to tell of them.
And he talks most cntertainingly ON |
this subject.
THAT Springfield bar. sir" he
says. contained more men who went
to high places than any other bar in
his country" Lincoln and Douglas.
and Shields. and Baker. and so ON
through a list as long as a small di-
-rctory, NE has them by heart. and
IAN tell you the his " and achieve
nents of every man in that wonder
'ul galaxy of giant intellects.
Lincoln was "a good MANN every
way" said Mr.. Hall. lie was the
irst man to sign the register with
which | opened my hotel at Delavan.
His name. y. Lincoln. was at the
.op of the first page in that book.
Kept il as a register for 80 years.
md then il was cut out and pre-
served by itself | knew Abraham
better than l know
Mimi" indicating his son-in-law. Mr..
he was a good man
Ill around.
But the greatest statesman of
hem all. / have always thought, was
he Little Giant-Steplen y. Douglas.
am Douglas democrat, and / knew
md admired Douglas. When he died
Lincoln lost the best friend he had.
md when Lincoln died the south lost
he best friend she had. Douglas
lated slavery as much as Lincoln
mated il. and his plan for eliminat-
N il. | believe, would have accom-
Dlished the end without the war, and
he pain and the loss that went with
T. But it is all over now, only L am
l Douglas democrat yet"
Mr. Hall intimated that he knew
he man who can lead the democracy
TO victory i'm 1904. but said he didn't
want to spring the name at this time.
Let them go on as they are do
ng." he said. land name Dave Hill
and this man and that man-all of
hem good. When the time comes if /
they will nominate the democrat l
have picked, on democratic plat
form, they will carry the election"
From the direction of his hints it
IS inferred that Gen. Fitzhugh Lee