Shadow Empire

Chapter 1185 How to Punish Traitors
After the president is sworn in, the next step is the realignment of congressional seats, which must be completed before February. In other words, the states have already begun preparing for congressional elections.

This is a major event, no less important than the presidential election.

As the highest federal governing body capable of challenging the presidential palace, members of Congress sometimes hold more sway in the public eye than presidential elections.

The logic is simple: you voted for the president, but the president can't possibly come to your side to listen to your troubles. They don't even come to your side!

However, senators and representatives, as members of Congress directly elected by the people, come from the local area and naturally pay more attention to local issues.

People often see similar news in newspapers, where a senator or representative speaks to certain problem groups about how to effectively solve their difficulties.

This is the main way for lawmakers to continue to receive votes, including Senator Cleveland, who takes time each year to return to his electoral district to participate in political activities and address issues faced by the public.

Only in this way will people vote for him in the next election, instead of for someone else.

With his seats in Congress up for grabs, he also needs to return to his home country to campaign for votes.

Of course, before that, he also had to attend an internal high-level meeting of the Socialist Party committee to discuss how to counter the Liberal Party's offensive in the coming years.

Those who can participate in such a high-level party meeting are basically people in high positions of power.

The governor, senators, representatives, and some high-ranking party officials.

Senator Cleveland sat in his seat, listening to the committee chairman's words, but his mind was elsewhere.

He already knew the content of the entire meeting in advance. As the current leading figure in the Socialist Party, he would also be consulted with some of the party's decisions before they were announced.

This is why people keep pursuing higher power; they don't want to be the ones whose fate is decided by destiny, but rather the ones who decide the fate of others!

After a while, the committee chairman announced the adjournment of the meeting and called out the names of Senator Cleveland and a few others, saying, "You stay behind and come to my office."

The other participants in the meeting showed some curiosity, but did not delve into it. There are many factions within the party. After Hu Si in previous years, when the Liberal Party did not pose any threat to the Socialist Party, the Socialist Party's main struggle was within the party itself.

The infighting between factions within the party is no less brutal than the current infighting between the Liberal Party and the Socialist Party.

However, with the Liberal Party's victory, the Socialist Party has reunited, demonstrating that external pressure is a crucial factor in determining internal stability.

Senator Cleveland gathered his belongings and went to the committee chairman's office, where he sat in the most prominent position at the front, as was his right.

After the others sat down, they also talked about some recent events and were curious about why the committee chairman had called them here.

"Jeffrey, do you think he has something to say to us?" asked another senator, who was sitting not far from Senator Cleveland. Judging from the seating arrangement, he was the second most important person there after Senator Cleveland.

The senator took out a cigarette and lit it. "I don't know, it's just related to the upcoming changes in seats, after all, that's the most important thing for us."

The election is over, and the president has been sworn in; there's basically no chance of changing anything.

If they cannot stabilize at least one house of parliament, then the Socialist Party can only be described as having suffered a complete defeat.

"According to our previous calculations, we have at least sixteen seats in Congress, which is more than 33 percent."

"As long as we unite, even if they all put pressure on us, they will not be able to form a majority."

"We can also try to win over the Federalists and the Labor Party, especially the Labor Party. They gave all their electoral votes to the Liberals this time. Although it's not a decisive change, it means they are willing to make deals."

Senator Cleveland saw things very clearly: "The Labor Party is too small and insignificant. If they don't rely on us or the Liberal Party, it will be difficult for them to have a strong voice. And you know the situation with the AFL-CIO and the Confederation of Labour very well."

"They're willing to sell themselves for a good price if the price is right!"

The gentlemen in the room chuckled softly. The labor unions, the general labor unions—these workers' organizations aren't really pure.

They have always used their influence over workers to do business with capitalists and governments.

On the surface, they appear to be on the side of the workers, but in reality, much of the benefit ends up in their own pockets.

The most obvious example is that many of the senior leaders of labor federations and trade unions in various industries are full-time employees. They do not have other jobs or run any other businesses, but the wealth they possess far exceeds their income level!

Like the chairman of the dockworkers' union, he was a full-time employee with no other businesses, and his monthly income was about four or five hundred dollars.

It may seem like a lot, but considering the villa he lives in, the luxury cars he drives, and the lifestyle that is clearly inconsistent with his income, it is obvious that he has also used his work and influence to gain a lot of extra benefits.

This is quite common. After all, this is a federation, a place with countless loopholes infiltrated by capital. It would be abnormal if someone couldn't do this.

Then the capitalists will find a way to move that stone from its place.

In such an environment, it is almost impossible to find someone who does not accept bribes, does not engage in job-related crimes or malfeasance!

The impressions of these organizations, such as the AFL and the Confederation of Labour, held by the lower classes are completely opposite to those held by the upper classes.

Just as they were about to continue their conversation, the committee chairman walked in from outside, accompanied by a senator. "Sorry to have kept you waiting for a while. I had some things to explain to you."

He walked to his seat and sat down, then gestured for the senator who had come in with him to find a seat, saying, "You should all know each other."

Senator Cleveland glanced at the man and nodded. "Congress isn't that big, we definitely know each other. What happened?"

The committee chairman gestured with his lip, indicating that the senator who came in later should speak for himself.

"Here's the thing, as you all know, I'm from Indenau State. In principle, the state government should have submitted the list of candidates for both houses of parliament by now, since the elections are scheduled to begin in the middle of the month."

"Before that, we will have an internal meeting to discuss whose name to put on the list this time."

Everyone nodded in agreement, because it was a "tacit agreement" and another characteristic of the federal government: election manipulation.

"So?" Senator Cleveland flicked his cigarette ash, a suspicion already forming in his mind.

The senator from Indenau said, "Wade, our governor, submitted a list of candidates to the legislature for review, which included two Liberal candidates."

The conversation ended there, and the room became unusually quiet, with subtle changes in everyone's expression.

Senator Cleveland understood what the other party meant: "So, Governor Wade has betrayed us!"

He turned to the committee chairman. "Did he come to today's meeting?"

Generally, January after the election is the time for the handover of work between the two cabinets and the federal government. In addition, it is the beginning of the new year, so the party's top leaders will usually gather in Golden State for a meeting.

The Federal Socialist Party Committee Congress, or the Federal Socialist Party Representative Congress, are both very important meetings that determine the direction and approach of the Socialist Party for the next few years.

The development of the three southern states started later than that of the north. They were all states under the influence of the Socialist Party, and these three states were stable Socialist strongholds.

The sudden appearance of someone with an alarm in such a "rear area" is indeed quite unexpected.

If Governor Wade comes, call him over so we can all have a chat.

The committee chairman shook his head. "I already asked him. He didn't attend our meeting, but he sent a representative. A representative can't get any core information out of us, so I didn't keep him here."

Another senator frowned and said, "That's a statement." Everyone's expression was grim; a governor's "swing" would jeopardize their chances of securing sixteen seats, which meant they were already down by one.

The Socialist Party originally only had the support of eight states, which is a total of sixteen senators. If these sixteen senators can stabilize and stick together, then although they have lost the majority and the majority party, they have not actually allowed the other side to become the majority.

The Liberal Party suffered a complete defeat because they only had ten seats in Parliament and could not prevent the Socialist Party from becoming the majority after forming a coalition with the Federalists. It was not very meaningful for them to vote on the Socialist Party's proposals.

However, the struggle within the Socialist Party was quite intense at the time. Although they held a majority of seats in parliament, they were not always able to pass resolutions.

In Congress, a proposal can only pass if more than 66.6 percent, or a "majority," of senators vote in favor, which is 31 people.

However, if sixteen people object, it will not pass even if the other twenty-nine people vote in favor.

The Socialist Party's current strategy is to secure these sixteen seats, thus maintaining a solid base for confrontation with the Liberal Party.

But with Governor Wade's move, the Socialist Party will inevitably lose a seat, and may only get fifteen seats, or even less, perhaps only fourteen, thirteen, or even fewer.

God knows how the Liberal Party members contacted them and what they promised that caused the Socialist governor to switch sides.

The committee chairman then said, "So I think we need to discuss how to solve this problem."

Senator Cleveland pursed his lips. "Have someone call Lance and ask him to come over."

“Lance?” one of the governors said, somewhat puzzled. “That mob boss?”

"What can he change?"

The governor who spoke is from a state located in the central part of the federal government, which is also heavily influenced by the Liberal Party. The committee chairman called him over as a warning and a reminder.

“He plays a very important role,” the committee chairman emphasized. “You can’t always see him as a gang leader; he’s not the same as the gangs we know.”

He then had someone make a phone call. The Capitol Building wasn't far from the city center, and Lance answered the call and headed over.

After a dozen minutes, Lance straightened his clothes and entered the office of the chairman of the Socialist Party committee.

He saw seven or eight gentlemen in the office and greeted them politely with smiles on his face.

“Come sit over here,” Senator Cleveland said, turning to greet him from his chair and pointing to an empty chair next to him. Lance nodded and sat down.

Do you know Wade?

"It's Governor Wade of Indenor."

Lance nodded and said, "I know him. He already lives in Golden Harbor City and is a municipal councilor there."

“The mayor at the time was Sidney, who was from Indenau State, for some reason…” Lance paused here, as he couldn’t quite explain the reasons.

Since this was essentially a decision made by the upper echelons of the Socialist Party, Senator Cleveland was clearly aware of it. He explained, "The Likale State Representative Committee believed that Goldenport City was controlled by local forces and that the state government did not have enough influence there, so they transferred Sidney, who was doing well in Indenau, to the state."

"They wanted to use Sidney's excellent methods to rescue Golden Harbor from the influence of the Williams and Wade families, but they ultimately failed."

Lance nodded. "Yes, it failed."

"Later, Sidney found an opportunity. Through some means and connections, he got the Socialist Committee and representatives of Indenau State to agree to nominate Wade as the gubernatorial candidate, thus taking the Wade family out of Goldenport City."

"Of course, in the end Sidney did not win Golden Harbor City, and now Mayor Williams is the mayor."

Most people here have heard about this incident to some extent, but not in great detail. After all, it's just a minor skirmish between the mayor and a municipal councilor, something they wouldn't normally pay attention to.

The committee chairman nodded. "I think I understand. What do you think of Wade as a person?"

Lance stated his opinion almost without hesitation: "A scumbag."

The gentlemen in the room were stunned for a moment, then they all burst out laughing.

"That's right, a very sharp and accurate assessment. He's a complete scumbag."

“We’ve run into a little trouble right now. He’s done something that’s hurting the interests of the Socialist Party, and we’re thinking about how to deal with him.”

The committee chairman put it very directly, and Senator Cleveland nodded in agreement, saying, "He thinks he's worth a good price, and we want him to pay the price. You know him better than we do. Is there any way to make him realize he's done something wrong?"

Lance thought for a moment, “I have some evidence, some evidence of Governor Wade soliciting and harming prostitutes during his time in Golden Harbor City, but I don’t think it will be of much use to him.”

"Firstly, a long time has passed, and it may not constitute valid evidence. Those people from back then are either dead or missing, and it is difficult to convict him with the only simple evidence left."

"In addition, this requires a long time to investigate and it is difficult to produce results immediately."

Senator Cleveland's brow furrowed deeply. "So we're completely helpless?"

Lance also took out his silver jeweled cigarette case and took out a cigarette. "He's a very greedy man. I also have some business in Indenor, the liquor business."

Everyone reacted differently, but basically no one really took it seriously.

The so-called "prohibition" was nothing more than a large-scale social experiment by the federal government, and whether it succeeded or failed was of no concern to them.

That's the value of Congress: even an outrageous proposal, if they think it's worth a try, has a chance of passing and then affecting the entire federal population.

“He was very greedy for my profits. We used to have a good working relationship, but because he wanted to get more profits from me, our negotiations broke down.”

“We can test his greed for profit and set a trap for him.”

“He wanted more money, I gave it to him, and then used that money to arrest him.”

The gentlemen in the room were all seriously considering the matter. Although Lance made it sound simple, it was actually not so simple. First, they had to prove that the income from that money was illegal, and then they had to prove that Governor Wade had used that money to solve some of Lance's problems.

Only in this way can we bring him down.

It's not so easy for Congress to take action against governors; they need a suitable, reasonable, and legal reason or excuse to do so.

The committee chairman quickly made a decision: "It's better to give it a try than to wait for the worst to happen, isn't it?"

"It's not necessary to bring him down; making him understand the price and the lesson is also acceptable."

Lance then raised a question, "But what if he's determined to side with the Liberals?"

“Porter can sign a pardon. If Wade goes directly to Porter for help and completely sides with Porter, and Porter signs the pardon, we still won’t be able to do anything about it.”

"After all, they have already approached Wade, and if Wade is willing to take it a step further, they might very well accept him."

Senator Cleveland asked thoughtfully, "What are your thoughts?"

Lance licked his lips, "If something happens to him..."

(End of this chapter)