tickets with Mr. Kasson and his master's name on them. Now Mr. Thompson
whose situation in point of _popularity_ especially in his _own town_
is not to be questioned, was very naturally surprised at his failure,
and could not in his own mind attribute it to any thing short of
"_fraud and management_." He had failed in despite of the combined
efforts of his partner and Mr. Kasson. Finding how poor doctor Child
had been cheated into a vote for three gentlemen whom Thompson
considered mere tools compared to himself, it leaves him no doubt on
the subject, and he can no longer avoid bristling with astonishment and
rage. Tho' several days before the convention met, a hue and cry was
immediately raised, and he repairs to court with almost the whole of
the McBain meeting at his heels--The convention till this year (1816)
had regularly met on the second day of April court.

The evil of this practice had been long felt and deplored by the
advocates for freedom of deliberation in this body, without being able
to attain a remedy. The scenes of this day however have for a while
suspended, and I trust forever abolished the pernicious and degrading
practice of _court_ conventions. Tuesday gave them leisure to organize
their forces and reconnoiter the points of attack. On Wednesday these
veteran lobby members of a county convention each knew his post, and
each was prepared with his story. The members of the convention, living
scattered in different directions, some near and some in the more
remote towns, arrive in small parties of one, two, and three in
succession, which gives full leisure to the court hangers on to see and
discourse with them in detail, and the astonished members of the
convention the moment they arrive were thus assailed on all hands with
a universal cry of Young, Young, Young for the candidate. No scheme was
left untried, no pretence neglected, no argument overlooked, no path
unexplored to entrap, to drive, to persuade and to lead the convention