The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Page #5

Check.

- Peter Ericson, American citizen.

- Go on in, Pete.

- See you for supper, Pete?

- Yeah.

- Tom, look, we need a statehood!

- l agree.

Herbert? You're too young to vote.

Back to school.

Greetings. Hey, excuse me. Excuse me.

- l'll have the usual.

- Bar's closed.

The bar is closed, Mr Editor,

during voting.

You can blame your lawyer friend.

He says that's one of the fundamental

laws of democracy, no exception.

No exceptions for the working press?

That's carrying democracy too far.

A small beer.

Bar's closed.

Give me that bung starter.

All right. Settle down!

Sit down, everybody!

Come on. Settle down.

Since our legal authority

closed the bar on us,

l propose that Ransom Stoddard,

Attorney at Law,

come up here and run this meeting.

- l second the motion.

- l third it.

Ransom. There he is. There he is.

All right. All right. All right.

All right, now, if you want,

l can show you the rules.

The meeting will come to order.

Settle down please.

Mr Peabody, would you keep

a record of the meeting?

Rance, please. There are other men...

Give me a drink.

- Bar's closed.

- Just a beer!

- Bar's closed.

- A beer's not drinking!

- Before we start...

- Sit down, Doctor, please?

l have a pencil right here.

Thank you.

You all know why we're here.

We're here to elect two delegates,

because a growing population

south of the Picketwire entitles us

to two.

These two delegates will represent us

in the territorial convention

for statehood.

You know the issue.

The cattle interests want to keep

this territory an open range.

No!

Ruled by their high-handed ideas,

whatever they are.

And we - that means everybody

in this room - we're for statehood!

We want statehood, because it means

the protection of farms and fences.

lt means schools for our children

and progress for the future!

Just sit down, please.

Now we'll proceed

with the nominations.

You can nominate as many as you like,

and in order to show you

how this procedure works,

l'll leave the chair temporarily.

That's parliamentary law.

You can do that.

l'll step out of the chair,

and l'll make the first nomination.

l'd like to nominate a man l think

is the only man in Shinbone

who has the right qualifications to

lead us in our fight for statehood.

l could stand here

talking about him all day,

but l know everybody here

could do the same.

l don't think that's necessary.

l nominate Tom Doniphon.

Come on, sit down. Sit down.

Stop sucking on that cigar

and put that pencil away.

- l refuse the nomination.

- You can't refuse now.

Yes l can, because l got

other plans, personal plans.

Mr Attorney, go on with your meeting.

You don't live south

of the Picketwire. You can't vote.

l live where l hang my hat.

Come on, move! Out of the way!

Hashslinger, why are you

standing there so high and mighty?

He's running this here meeting,

or hadn't you heard?

The whole shebang.

l'd like to nominate the chairman,

Mr Ransom Stoddard, as delegate

to the territorial convention.

Wait a minute.

And l second that nomination,

not only because he knows law,

but because he throws a good punch.

Now listen, all you sodbusters,

you hard-rock farmers.

- l aim to be the delegate.

- You don't live south.

Floyd, say your piece like l said.

l nominate

Liberty Valance for delegate.

- l second the nomination.

- Move the nominations be closed.

Now wait a minute. That ain't

exactly legal, is it, Mr Attorney?

We need two good delegates

to Capitol City, Valance,

Two honest men.

We've got one in you, Mr Stoddard.

- You looking for trouble, Doniphon?

- You helping me find some?

- You heard my motion, dude!

- All right. Put his name down.

- Liberty Valance, address unknown.

- Have l got a right to speak?

- Go ahead, Highpockets.

- Then what about Mr Peabody?

He can read and write

and runs the newspaper.

Yeah, and when he's drinking,

why, he can talk the ears

off of a w-wooden lndian.

l second the motion.

No, you don't. No!

l'm a newspaperman, not a politician.

No, politicians are my meat!

l build them up. l tear them down.

But l wouldn't be one.

l couldn't be one.

- lt would destroy me! Give me a...

- Bar's closed.

Good people of Shinbone,

l'm your conscience.

l'm the still, small voice

that thunders in the night.

l'm your watchdog

that howls against the wolves.

l'm your Father confessor!

- What else am l?

- Town drunk?

- Dutton Peabody. Write it down.

- l move the nominations be closed.

- l second the motion.

- All in favour?

Now we'll proceed with the election.

You sodbusters are a brave bunch

when you're together, but don't vote

any way now that you'll regret

later when you're alone.

Those in favour of Ransom Stoddard

as delegate, raise your hands.

All those in favour of Liberty

Valance, raise your hands.

All those in favour of Dutton

Peabody, raise your hands.

- Let's get you a drink.

- The bar's closed.

According to Mr Stoddard,

the bar's closed.

- Anything further on the election?

- Legally, the election's finished.

Then the bar is open.

That vote don't mean a thing.

Stay out of this.

He's been hiding

behind your gun long enough.

You got a choice, dishwasher.

Either you leave town,

or tonight be on that street alone.

You be there,

and don't make us come and get you.

Well, he called it plain.

Too bad you didn't come

to me sooner with that gun.

Pilgrim. Come full dark, Pompey will

be at the Swedes' place

with a buckboard.

Why don't you leave town?

Thanks.

''Liberty Valance defeated.''

D-E-F-E-E... T-E-D?

The unsteady hand betrays.

What's the matter, Mr Peabody?

Are you afraid?

The answer is indub... yes.

No courage left.

Well, courage can be purchased

at yon tavern.

But have we credit?

That is the question. Have we credit?

Well, credit is cheap.

Wait for me,

old servant of the public wheel.

Our shining hour is yet to come.

As for you, Horace Greeley,

go west, old man,

and grow young with the country.

Don't do that, Mr Peabody.

Why are you out here?

Don't you know that everybody

is supposed to get off the street?

My inalienable right,

the pursuit of happiness.

Sure, but it don't go to the saloon.

Liberty Valance is back there.

You should hear

what he's swearing to do to Rance.

And he ain't leaving you out, either.

Go in and let the Mexican fill that.

But l doubt if my credit is good with

these Spanish-American gentlemen.

Sure, it is. He's my wife's

step-uncle by her sister's marriage.

But would you say something nice

about me in your paper?

My dear friend, Link Appleyard?

The fearless,

fighting marshal of the west?

Your name will go down in history

with Buffalo Bill.

Mr Peabody's drunker than a skunk

over in that Mexican joint.

He ain't eating tonight.

He ''isn't'' eating tonight, remember?

lsn't, ain't,

what difference does it make?

Ain't going to be no school anymore

with you leaving tonight.

Good evening, folks. Mr Rance,

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