Now Gadsby was vigorously against graft; not only in city affairs but
in any kind of transaction; and that stab brought forth such a flow of
oratory from him, that as voting for Mayor was soon to occur, it, and a
long list of good works, soon had him up for that position. But Gadsby
didn't want such a nomination; still, thousands of townsfolks who had
known him from childhood, would not hark to anything but his candidacy;
and, soon, on window cards, signs, and flags across Broadway, was
his photograph and "GADSBY FOR MAYOR;" and a campaign was on which
still rings in Branton Hills' history as "hot stuff!" Four aspiring
politicians ran in opposition; and, as all had good backing, and Gadsby
only his public works to fall back on, things soon got looking gloomy
for him. His antagonists, standing upon soap box, auto truck, or
hastily built platforms, put forth, with prodigious vim, claims that
"our fair city will go back to its original oblivion if _I_ am not its
Mayor!" But our Organization now took a hand, most of which, now out of
High School, was growing up rapidly; and anybody who knows anything at
all about Branton Hills' history, knows that, if this band of bright,
loyal pals of Gadsby's was out to attain a goal, it was mighty apt to
start things humming. To say that Gadsby's rivals got a bad jolt as
it got around town that his "bunch of warriors" was aiding him, would
put it but mildly. _Two quit instantly_, saying that this is a day of
Youth and no adult has half a show against it! But two still hung on;
clinging to a sort of fond fantasy that Gadsby, not naturally a public
sort of man, might voluntarily drop out. But, had Gadsby so much as
thought of such an action, his Organization would quickly laugh it to
scorn.
"Why, good gracious!" said Frank Morgan, "if _anybody_ should sit in
that Mayor's chair in City Hall, it's you! Just look at what you did to
boost Branton Hills! Until you got it a-going it had but two thousand
inhabitants; now it has sixty thousand! And just ask your rivals to
point to any part of it that you didn't build up. Look at our Public
Library, municipal band, occupational class rooms; auto and bus trips;
and your circus which paid for music for sick folks. With you as Mayor,
_boy!_ What an opportunity to boss and swing things your own way! Why,
anything you might say is as good as law; and----"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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