The Great McGinty Page #6

the smallest token of gratitude

that you can show,

is to send him to the capital.

I'm giving it to you straight, friends.

You owe him that.

Senator Honeywell on the other hand,

my friends,

You won't be making no mistake, friends.

And I'll tell you something else...

Now just compare them, coolly,

without prejudice.

On the one hand, we have virtue.

On the other...

...year alone, he put 40,000 men to work.

He gutted the treasury.

40,000 lunch pails, my friends.

He raided the city.

40,000 happy families.

He raised the taxes.

Money in circulation, prosperity.

He built miles of useless buildings,

bridges, beaches.

Eyesores, my friends.

Each and every one of them a monument,

a testimonial to graft.

And gave you the most beautiful city

in the world.

Come on. Your legs are too short.

- Pass?

- What do you mean "pass"?

These are His Honour's children.

- Hello, little fella.

- Look at Bessy and Brownie.

They're so excited.

- Oh, I'm so proud of you, Dan.

- What?

- I'm so proud of you.

- Oh.

You're strong enough for anything now.

What?

I said you're strong enough.

Oh.

To do good for people,

to justify the faith of your constituents.

I'm the governor of a state.

You're the governor's lady.

Isn't that enough for you?

Can't we let well enough alone?

Everybody don't get to be governor.

I, Daniel McGinty, do solemnly swear,

that I will faithfully discharge all duties

incumbent upon me as governor,

that I will do equal right to the poor

and to the rich,

and that I will, to the best of my ability,

protect, defend,

and preserve the constitution and the laws

of this sovereign state,

so help me, God.

Well?

Here we are.

- It took a little doing, but it's worth it.

- That's right.

Congratulations, Mr Governor McGinty.

Thanks.

You don't look as happy as you should.

- Don't you feel good?

- I feel all right.

You should feel all right

with this staring you in the face.

Ah, what a wonderful opportunity.

This state needs everything.

They had honest governors so long,

the whole place is in rack and ruin.

- Yeah?

- It's ridiculous.

The roads, for instance.

They're in terrible condition.

In case of war, we'd be at the mercy.

We need a whole new highway system.

How would an enemy get to here?

How do I know? Am I a general?

Then we'll need a new waterworks system,

a state canal and...

You'll kiss me for this one.

- A new dam.

- I do, huh?

I'm guessing from your expression

you don't know what a dam is.

You think a dam is something

you put a lot of water in.

A dam is something

you put a lot of concrete in.

And it doesn't matter how much you put in,

there's always room for more.

And any time you're afraid it's finished,

you find a crack in it and you put

some more concrete in. It's wonderful.

What's the matter with the old dam?

It's got a crack in it.

Of course,

right now while the farmers are looking on,

we could start off with a nice,

little state capital building.

White marble, maybe.

Or do you like pink?

What do we need

a state capital building for?

What do we need it for?

This one is falling apart.

Look.

It ain't safe.

Looks safe enough to me.

I'm the guy that's gotta work here.

You're kind of dumb this morning,

ain't you, Dan?

Yeah.

What are you trying to pull, lug?

Look.

There ain't gonna be no dam.

No bridges, no buildings that the people

don't need from now on.

The people?

- Are you sick or something?

- I feel fine.

Then what are you trying to put over,

you cheap, double-crossing rat?

After I spent 400 grand to put you in here.

I figured that out.

Here's the key to my deposit box.

- I'll pay the rest out of my salary.

- I don't want salary.

- Know how long you'll be here?

- I know exactly how long I'll be here.

You think you know, you poor sucker.

I'll put you in a jug so long,

you'll splash when you come out.

You'll be splashing with me,

maybe you'll be splashing by yourself.

You think so? Anything happens to me,

you'll be in the clink ten minutes later.

You think I'm an amateur? I'll pin so much

on you, you'll look like a Christmas tree.

What are you gonna pin on me

when I just started this morning?

I've been hatching this a long time.

First I'm gonna put through

a child labour bill,

then I'm gonna stamp out the sweatshops.

Then I'm gonna banish the tenements.

What do you know about child labour?

You've never even seen a sweatshop.

What's this tenement business?

Who have you been talking to?

You're spouting like a woman.

Your wife!

That cheesecake you married.

You make one crack about her...

Don't you know a rib started all the trouble?

Did you never hear of Samson and Delilah,

or Sodom and Gomorrah?

Look, I told you to leave her out of it.

Let me at him, let me at him.

Please.

They say he'll get 20 years.

I hope he does. Serve him right.

I'm not gonna press the charges.

He ain't a bad guy, honey.

According to his way of looking at things.

Remember he took me off the breadline.

But he tried to kill you.

Why shouldn't he?

Don't you think I'd take a pop at a guy

that slipped me the triple cross?

You gave him back the money.

Sure.

Anything should slip up there,

we'd be up the crick. No fooling.

You're just tired and irritated, darling.

Nothing's going to slip up.

Nothing can go wrong.

You're going to do your best for everybody.

You'll be the finest governor

this state ever had.

There's no money in it, you understand?

Just a salary.

- There are some things finer than money.

- Yeah?

I feel leery about the whole setup.

Sweatshops and tenements

are very hot stuff to handle.

Child labour is just plain dynamite.

Well, suppose it is.

It's worth the effort, isn't it?

Maybe.

"Maybe. "

Doesn't it mean anything to stop children

being exploited in dark, airless factories,

when they ought to be out

playing in the sunshine?

- Did you ever work in a factory?

- You know I didn't.

Well, I did, see.

When I was seven years old.

Instead of playing on the streets,

learning a lot of dirty words.

I earned four dollars a week for my mother.

And it wasn't dark and airless,

it was very neat and clean.

We folded the boxes,

then we twisted the oilpaper on the taffy...

...what we didn't eat.

And I want you to know that we liked it.

Oh, Dan, sometimes you're impossible!

- Who can that be at this time of the night?

- I don't know, maybe it's George.

- What would George want at this hour?

- Maybe it isn't George.

- Get the door bell.

- Yes, sir.

- Is the Governor in?

- Yes, sir.

- What do you want?

- Governor McGinty?

- What about it?

- We've got bad news, Governor McGinty.

You look as though a cyclone had hit you.

- I had a nightmare.

- You had too much ice cream.

- There.

- May I have Brownie in bed with me?

No, darling, Brownie's going to stay

down here, where she belongs.

- Catherine.

- Yes, Dan?

I'm sorry I got sore a little while ago.

That's all right, darling.

Anyone would get nervous on a day like this.

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