Chương 125: Roosevelt's Bottom Line and Deals

Chapter 125 Roosevelt's Bottom Line and the Deal (Continuing with daily 10, 000 words) At noon, in a private lounge on the second floor of the city hall that is not open to the public.

The heavy oak door was tightly closed, shutting out the noisy discussions and footsteps of reporters in the corridor outside.

There were only two people in the room: Franklin Roosevelt and Jimmy Walker, who looked like a trapped animal.

Walker's demeanor was completely different from when he was in the hearing room.

He no longer bothered to maintain that haughty political facade. He roughly loosened his tie and unbuttoned his suit jacket.

Walker sat down on the sofa, picked up the bottle on the table without ceremony, and poured himself a glass of strong whiskey.

Then he said directly, "Governor, there are no reporters here, so let's speak frankly. You win, you win completely."

"Those old foxes in Tammany betrayed me, and that reckless newspaper editor drove me to the brink of despair."

He abruptly changed the subject, staring intently at Roosevelt, and threatened with a cold smile: "But if you actually sign that impeachment motion this afternoon and send me to court for trial, I guarantee that the entire New York political scene will be dragged down with me."

Roosevelt sat on the sofa, his hands calmly crossed on the blanket, unmoved by the intimidation, and responded indifferently: "Walker, threatening a governor who holds the power of life and death over you is not a wise way to get out of trouble."

Walker slammed down his glass, his tone laced with a sense of utter despair: "This isn't a threat, Franklin, it's a fact that's about to happen. You're a smart man; you should be able to see the consequences."

Walker then played his final card: "If you let the Attorney General prosecute me, this won't be over in a few months; it will drag on for years. I'll hire the best legal team in the country and apply for countless extensions."

Walker's eyes turned extremely vicious.

"More importantly, although the Tammany Society abandoned me, I have all the details of how they operated over the past decade. I know every dirty secret in this building."

He began listing bombshell revelations that could trigger a major political earthquake.

"I know which judges took bribes when making rulings, and which state legislators accepted donations from gangs during their campaigns. Every pore of this building is seeping with shady money."

"If I am forced to stand in the dock, I will request that all municipal shady dealings be made public as evidence. I will drag the entire New York political scene, including all the bigwigs within your Democratic Party, into the mud."

"A three-year-long scandalous drama that has shaken even Washington. Is this the victory you wanted, Governor?"

To Walker's surprise, Roosevelt's face showed no anger or panic, but rather a profound look of looking down on ants.

Roosevelt narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the corrupt politician in front of him who was at his wit's end and trying to take everyone down with him, as if trying to see some clue on his face.

A moment of silence followed in the room before Roosevelt slowly spoke: "Walker, you overestimate yourself. You underestimate me. The reason I'm willing to see you isn't because I'm afraid of your shady dealings."

Roosevelt turned his wheelchair and slowly walked to the large French windows.

Outside the window was the gloomy, overcast sky of New York in January 1930. In the cold wind, the makeshift tents erected by homeless people who had lost their homes could be vaguely seen along the edge of Central Park.

Roosevelt pointed out the window and said, "I'm seeing you not because you're important, but because the overall stability is very important."

"Look out the window. The stock market crash last October is bleeding this country dry. Arthur says it's a Great Depression that will cost millions of hardworking Americans their jobs."

"What I see is banks collapsing every day, farms going bankrupt, and waves of unemployment and closures growing daily. Hunger and despair are spreading like a plague in every corner of this country."

He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Walker on the sofa, as if he were looking at the garbage of an era.

Roosevelt stated sternly, "At this nation's most perilous time, the people's trust in the government has reached rock bottom. Your threats are not harming me, or the Democratic Party, but the entire nation!"

"What do you think the public will think? They won't feel that justice has been served. They'll just think that our proud democratic system is rotten from top to bottom."

Walker was overwhelmed by Roosevelt's powerful aura; he opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a moment.

Roosevelt made no secret of his ambition and grand plans.

Roosevelt looked Walker in the eye and said, "I will run for president as a Democrat sooner or later. What I want to bring to this desperate nation is confidence, a completely new bailout plan that can save the economy."

"I absolutely cannot let the nation see a mess that only knows how to fight amongst themselves and divide the spoils. Removing this cancerous growth is to allow New York to function cleanly again."

Roosevelt delivered the final verdict: "You may live, but the politics you represent must die."

Walker understood.

Roosevelt didn't want a bloody, mutually destructive process. He wanted a smooth transition of power and the absolute preservation of the Democratic Party's credibility.

Walker shrewdly seized this lifeline and immediately proposed his own terms for the deal.

Walker quickly stated, "I apologize to you. I will announce my resignation and hand over the position of mayor at a press conference this afternoon. In exchange, the state government must drop the criminal charges against me and the border restrictions."

"Let me buy you a ticket to Europe, and I promise I'll never go back to America and never cause you any more trouble."

This is an extremely pragmatic, and extremely dirty, political deal.

If Walker voluntarily leaves the United States, the remaining forces of the Tammany Association will be leaderless and severely damaged.

At the same time, without a lengthy courtroom battle, the public will only see the mayor resign in a dignified manner, thus preserving the dignity of democracy.

Roosevelt looked at him coldly, and after a brief deliberation, made his decision.

Roosevelt commanded in an unquestionable tone: "At this afternoon's press conference, I want to hear your statement of resignation. By tomorrow morning, you must be completely out of American soil."

"If you attempt to take any funds belonging to the City Hall's public account, or if you are still in New York when the sun rises tomorrow, the arrest warrant will be effective immediately."

Walker stood up and let out a long sigh of relief. He straightened his wrinkled suit, regaining some of his usual composure.

Walker flashed a fake smile, a smile that betrayed his relief: "Deal. Best of luck in your presidential campaign, Mr. Roosevelt."