For the Governor's Chair Filming Locations

Tobias Meeker, an accountant who has been in the employ of the state for years, is dying at his home. Meekers' daughter, Arline, is a stenographer in the governor's office. Ray Sanger, star reporter of "The Globe," on his way to see his sweetheart, Arline, notices the governor of the state, Henry Croft, and his secretary, Mark Ralston, entering the Meeker cottage. Scenting a news story, Sanger remains outside, watching. Within the cottage Governor Croft, through a threat of discharging Arline, persuades the dying Meeker to write and sign a fake confession that Malcolm Rush, Croft's opponent for governor, tried to bribe Meeker to change state records. Ralston signs the confession as witness. Arline overhears the plot. When the governor and Ralston leave, Arline tells Sanger of the scheme, while Meeker passes away. Sanger at once warns his friend, Rush, of the conspiracy. Governor Croft controls the police and the District Attorney, so that it is impossible to seek relief through the law. Sanger and Rush realize that if the fake confession is published the next morning it will be impossible to counteract it, as the following day is election day. At the governor's office, Croft orders his secretary to make an appointment with the newspaper men for the next morning, then locks the confession in the safe after having a number of copies made. That night a masked man enters the governor's office and takes a paper from the safe. He wears a pair of white gloves so that he will leave no fingerprints. The stranger safely climbs out of the window, but as he is standing taking off his gloves he is seen by the watchman. A chase follows, during which the pursued drops the gloves. The watchman loses the trail at the rear entrance to the Hotel Mitchell. Convinced that the prowler has done no harm the watchman forgets about the incident, although he keeps the gloves, which show the initials "M.R." within the wrist. Next morning Sanger and other newspapermen meet the governor. They are given copies of the confession, but cannot publish it until they have seen the original. The governor discovers the original missing. The night watchman tells his story and shows the white gloves to the governor. The governor sees the initials, realizes that they fit Ralston and that the latter lives at the Hotel Mitchell. Governor Croft accuses Ralston of being a traitor and attacks him. Sanger separates the two men, reminding the governor that Rush's initials also read "M.R." Rushing to the office of the chief of police. Croft has officers sent to search Ralston's rooms at the hotel and Rush's office. They find nothing. The chief and the governor go to the latter's office where Ralston is searched and put through a third degree, but in vain. Croft suggests that Ralston be locked up until after the election, reminding Ralston that if he says anything of the obtaining of the fake confession, he (Ralston) will face prison as an accomplice. Ralston is arrested, but manages to escape. He hurries to Sanger's room and confronts the latter, saying: "Look here, Sanger, you borrowed those white gloves of mine last week." Sanger laughs, tells him to forget the gloves, and working on Ralston's spite against the governor, persuades him to write a statement implicating the governor in the fake confession, Sanger promising to obtain immunity for Ralston in case Rush wins the election. Election day comes, and the Croft men resort to "repeater" methods at the polls Many bitter fights result, but in spite of these tactics, Rush is elected. On inauguration day, Sanger confronts the retiring governor in his office in company with Ralston. Sanger asks Croft to give him an envelope labeled "Petition from Anti-Vice Society." Sanger tears open the envelope and reveals the Meeker confession. The morning after the robbery Sanger, in the governor's office with other newspapermen, had dropped this envelope on the floor while the governor was frantically searching the safe. Sanger had picked up this envelope and handed it to the governor, saying: "You dropped this out of that bunch of papers." Croft had glanced at the inscription on the envelope, then tossed it into the safe. Sanger, who was the burglar, had figured that this would be the safest place for the confession, so that he might have it later to convict Croft. It comes out at this point that Sanger is the new chief of police and his first duty is to arrest Croft on a charge of conspiracy. Sanger also introduces Arline as his future wife.