Chapter 27: A Dicker for a Man's Soul

⁠​​​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌⁠The populace came first and packed solidly into the galleries of the great auditorium of Marion city.

For years the state conventions of the dominant party had attracted but little public attention. They had been simple affairs of routine, indorsing the men and the principles of the Big Machine. The next governor had been groomed and announced to the patient people long months before the date of th