He had thought it wise to cultivate the acquaintance of the
men who ruled his own county even though his name had been written large
upon the Bassett slate.
In the weeks that intervened between his interview with Harwood in the
upper room of the Whitcomb and the primaries, Bassett had quietly
visited every congressional district, holding conferences and perfecting
his plans. "Never before," said the "Advertiser," "had Morton Bassett's
pernicious activity been so marked." The belief had grown that the
senator from Fraser was in imminent peril; in the Republican camp it was
thought that while Thatcher might not control the convention he would
prove himself strong enough to shake the faith of many of Bassett's
followers in the power of their chief. There had been, apparently, a hot
contest at the primaries. In the northern part of the state, in a region
long recognized as Bassett's stronghold, Thatcher had won easily; at
the capital the contestants had broken even, a result attributable to
Thatcher's residence in the county. The word had passed among the
faithful that Thatcher money was plentiful, and that it was not only
available in this preliminary skirmish, but that those who attached
themselves to Thatcher early were to enjoy his bounty throughout his
campaign--which might be protracted--for the senatorship. Bassett was
not scattering largess; it was whispered that the money he had used
previously in politics had come out of Thatcher's pocket and that he
would have less to spend in future.
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