The plot makes Smith a replacement [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] who discovers, to his shame, that he had been appointed to be a stooge. When he decides not to be a stooge, the political machine responsible for his appointment makes an effort to destroy his reputation and have him expelled from the Senate, in order to protect a graft operation two years in the planning. But Smith's dogged perseverance, combined with the not-yet-seared conscience of his colleague and chief adversary in the Senate, enables him to prevail and evil to be defeated. | The plot makes Smith a replacement [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] who discovers, to his shame, that he had been appointed to be a stooge. When he decides not to be a stooge, the political machine responsible for his appointment makes an effort to destroy his reputation and have him expelled from the Senate, in order to protect a graft operation two years in the planning. But Smith's dogged perseverance, combined with the not-yet-seared conscience of his colleague and chief adversary in the Senate, enables him to prevail and evil to be defeated. |