their patriotic convictions, and some of them are not fully persuaded
until four or five angels (golden, of course) come to enlighten their
minds. Others refuse to listen even to the sweet voices of these angels,
and wait obstinately for the mightier spirits, emblazoned on fifty and
one hundred florin bank-bills. Others, again, are to be had only _en
bloc_--that is, in company with their friends and connections, and only
just at the last moment, when the bidding is highest; and so tender is
their conscience that they listen to the persuasions of all parties with
equal earnestness, and it takes much to convince and win them over.

It is a matter of course that the nominated candidate of each party is
far above such negotiations, and, although he owns that it has come to
his knowledge that his antagonist actually stooped to bribery in order
to defend his weak cause, yet he himself will never condescend to meet
the man on that ground. If his own moral integrity, the lofty standing
of his party, and his party's principles, will not secure the victory
for him, why, then there is no honesty and patriotism in this decayed
age, and the patriotic cause is lost!

At every election, as you well know, are a number of kind,
disinterested, active, and zealous party members, indefatigably busy in
securing and collecting votes, or, what is more essential, trying to win
over the votes of the enemy. These very useful and highly respectable
gentlemen are leaders or drum-majors, and they have a number of
subalterns, not less useful, painstaking, and persuasive, only a little
less gentlemanlike and less scrupulous, and perhaps not wholly
disinterested as regards pecuniary gain. These are the election
drummers, plain and simple.

Now at the election of which I am speaking there were two factions. I,