Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-02-28
BURLINGTON, Feb. l, 1850.

| DEAR SIR:-I had not thought of addressing you
on any subject, until saw your remarks in ssThe
Ne,o Covenanf,o Of Jan. 10, respecting the debate
between Messrs Westfall and McCuistion: the
| 18th, 18th and nth of November last. Let pre-
mise that in our short acquaintance, received an
impres sion of your gentlemanly bearing and homes
/ ty, very much in you: favor, and was therefore
wholly unprepared for the extraordinary statements
you have been pleased TO make respecting that de-
| bate.
You have, indeed, done Mr. McCuistion consider
| able honor. II has been supposed that you would
have been a little more frank to have fully admit
ted that he gained very signal triumph. You seem
to be half inclined to do, and surely to any one
who heard the debate, should you admit it wholly,
you would not appear less truthful. Yet while you
are giving your statement, you seem to have over
looked the fact that the human memory is treacher-
| Gus, your own not excepted, and yet you remember
some things well, as the anecdote of the two Mer-
chants and the Irishman respecting the death Of
| the Devil, &c. You remembered that McCuistion
was s.the Eeenest and read;est wit you had ever
known, fluent, correct and rapid speaker," &c.
that he could ssintroduce into his speeches more
matter, than his opponent could notice in detai.'
Giving special emphasis to the word s:matter in
that sentence, it should be admitted your memory
is retentive of some lhings-but some things you
forgot entirely,--they seem not only to have gone
out Of your mind-but gone clear round the 9TH
er side, and there to come in again. wrong end fore
most. Let me Quote-you say of McCuistion, that
sWhen pressed as he repeatedly was with the in
| consistency between his argument and his creed,
and urged to reconcile them, he maintained pro-
ell ~ otbar ~. a 70, g.,
he strobe the fence, resting thereon his whole
weight--his feet pendent--not daring to touch the
ground on this side or on that--an uncomfortable
position truly. But what better could he do9 To
defend his creed, was to give up his argument; to
defend his argument was to give up his creed. He
chose to do neither, and was of course gored by
both horns of the dilemma. His wit, even did not
in this case come to his relief" The matter of
the above quotation is estrcordnary truly. cam
not be mere slip OF the pen--no mans pen slips
| SO far. You say he sneither defended his creed
nor his argument.'' Did he then give up the case
to Mr.. Westfan' .sHe maintained profound s-
lcnce.' And when was he silent at the argument
of his opponent2 ellis wit even did not GENE to
his relief.'' Was then the s.!ountain always full,
and overnowing," dried up? 1coufess il gives me
pain To tell you that there than hundred
witnesses living. ready believe, to testify, that
when pressed on the subject OF hi. creed, McCuis.
ton assuredhis opponent that on proper occasion
he would defend his creed 10 the full satisfaction Of
| Mr. Westfall-that he would so to Davenport to do
it, meet him at any other place, and at any time
for this purpose, for the present however, he had
! engaged TO defend the negative of the following
proposition lido the Scriptures cftae Old aud Ne,,
G, h,i,.
! s,anknd." You seen. TO have forgotten, III this
and more. Did you DO il by profound effort of the
intellect or is it to be accounted for on mere
moral principles? "His Wit even failed Fin.''-
You seem 70 have forgotten the sudden fash wit,
! that burst at this very point like lghtning-to me
it was as electrical as any other. After making
the offer to defend his creed at any given time. Ac
/ Mr. McCuistion said he would remark by the way,
that his creed had had many enemies, and received
/ Hercuiean strokes to destroy it, from many quar-
ters, much heavier and harder dealt, than were to
be apprehended from Mr. Westfall-and then ad-
dressing him directly, he said, in language to this
effect, "Your Liilput,an efforts viii be the blink
ing of sore eyed Owl, to blot the Suu.' Did you
really forget all this? Can You not call to mind at
least, the complaints of Mr. Westfull that he had
h.ea connlr.i 70 an ugly nocturnal bird with sore
eyesp We'll! just s.his wit even failed,"-- I
she maintained profound silence ,''-ust so whe
strode the fence,"-iust so che was gorcd By the
horns Of the dilemma,' that had neither hoofs nor
horns.
There seemed strange tendency to forget. Mr. West.
fall forgot that be had engaged defend tn affirmative
Of the proposition, and instead going into the BRO
SEA OF evidence flowing from the Divine Word, he lin.
gered about the Shore short Of that time.
not to say ALL, conening himself with general pro
positions, lid est general all parties in Theology Such
as-"lhere is God.' .od is the Father of all
kind" "God loves all his children.' mo nao con de.
feat the of Cod resist his WILL" &C. These
were repeated, until the audience from very desire OF
novelty tired of hearing them aid alcCuison saw
the necessity ofestabshing Affirmative against the al.
hrmatve Of the proposition to prevent perfect
Mr. Wes,f forgot, and yourself disposed forget
that should Cavinsln be hateful as you think it is.
and should persuade all hate it as much as il
reasonable and Scrptu.al believe thatsstan does
it would have no bearing the question in dispute
Moreover Mr. w. and others concerned seemed forget
that the attempted RUsE might be discovered II he had
arguments to estab sh point, why need he care abou.
another mans Cfecd1 Was il not evidence that he feared
to of the question: You pehaps seen the Part
ridge disturbed while sitting her brood in the grass
How she auters and amens, all to draw you away from
the point where her young Such Mr. w. the
wry faces Calvnistic creeis 1t would no doubt
have been acceptable the scon of the audi
them than have settle on the we aknsss of hi.
own cause.
There is another possible cause, for his leaving the
question and attacking his opponents creed, which If it
did TO decide his this particular would
not much for the moral rectude of the an TO
hmselh he it, and to the decisions Of his conscience
be it LEFT, the dan that such cation might be
course. The audience divided the Calvenistic
question. Part Armenians, part Caviniss Now il
Mr. Westal in the extremity Of his helea eue.ed as
| YOU admit with anecdoie, wit and sarcasm and have
much more affirm by shaft, after shaft, like thunder bolts
of Divine truth, the living word of the living God until
he evidently knew whittier feen such extremity
could hehave succeeded in setting the Calvnists and
Amenians present by the ears. what opening would
make through which to retreat from dangerous post
Be assured Sir that for one expected something more
from MIR Westfal, in the shape of argument than was
heard on that occasion. Yours &c
/ ABNER LEONARD.
DEATH OF A PalsrER.-Yesterday
morning, about half past O'clock, Mr.
Ezra Lincoln, a well known printer in
Congress street, died at the age Of about
| E0 sb,rt ,1I,,o.- &. q