Shadow Empire

Chapter 993 Nomination, Development, and Invitation

“The state legislature should also get involved.”

After careful consideration, Governor Terry said the following.

Although state legislatures are essentially subordinate to the governors, they do have their own irreplaceable work and responsibilities.

They can't be on par with the president like Congress, but they are the only ones who can do things on their own.

Moreover, while governors are constantly changing, the number of seats in the state legislature remains relatively constant.

The Speaker of the House and the Speaker of the Senate have served eight and ten years respectively, and will continue to serve until a successor recognized by everyone emerges, at which point they will "quietly" leave their current positions.

Of course, this "gloom" is all an act for the voters, since they are actually voting.

In the short term, it is unlikely that the two speakers of the state legislature will leave their positions within the next four or six years.

At the same time, the power they represent will not collapse because of their departure; on the contrary, the new successors will continue to consolidate this power.

Listening to what Governor Terry said, Lance felt a little emotional.

People say the Union is a land of freedom, as if every corner of it exudes the fragrance and sweetness of freedom.

The idea that power comes from the people sounds and seems to be true: people cast their votes for politicians they deem suitable, and these people then become government officials to rule them.

But in reality, everyone who participated in this game knows exactly what's going on.

It's a ridiculous "political hoax," just like how people right now think that changes in state legislature positions should be related to voters.

After Governor Terry finished speaking, he looked at Lance, who nodded. "Okay, the state legislature is related to local legislation. We need to keep a firm grip on the state legislature, or at least not let it get out of control."

Now that two speakers are joining, the number of people will begin to increase.

Mayor Williams continued, "It can't all be politicians; that's not in line with the development and prospects of an interest group. We also need to bring in some capital."

Capital acts like butter at this time, serving as a lubricant. Moreover, with capital, the transfer of benefits becomes more complete, and the unity of the entire interest group becomes closer.

Lance didn't object either. "We can select some and ask for their opinions. If they don't object to 'teaming up' with us, then we'll bring them in."

The word "team up" here should actually mean a "political party," but "political party" is too... serious, so saying "team up" is obviously more appropriate.

Mayor Williams and Governor Terry both understood what he meant, as did William.

Lance then said meaningfully, "Actually, we don't need too many local forces involved. Once any political group like this is formed, its power will permeate from top to bottom, even if we don't have these peripheral members in various places."

"They will also actively fill this framework as our organizational structure gradually improves."

“We need some solid, reliable ‘locals’!” he said, looking at the three elderly men, “like the Lawrence family.”

“Our control over Likale is not just about controlling the underworld, government, capital and markets; it also requires greater social influence.”

Mayor Williams suddenly said, "Perhaps we can talk to Governor Wade. The Wade family is also a prominent family in Likalai. Although they have moved away, their roots will not be completely severed just because their main members are not here."

"We can absorb or integrate some of their remaining forces to increase our own leverage."

He was clearly a little jealous and envious when he mentioned the title "Governor Wade." The results of the gubernatorial elections in every state in the federal government have been announced, and there are no exceptions.

According to the relevant laws governing gubernatorial elections, unless the governor dies suddenly or is assassinated after winning the election, the results must be released before the Sacred Farm festival to avoid the election affecting the festival.

This demonstrates the high regard in which the holiday of Saint Farm is held by the people of the Commonwealth.

There's actually a rather unfunny joke here: among dark-skinned people, there's an extreme group who call Saint Farm "Good Friday" and openly refuse to celebrate it.

They would gather and demonstrate on the day of Saint Farmer because, before slavery was abolished, Saint Farmer was the biggest slave trade festival.

On this day, large numbers of captured slaves would be sold, and plantation owners would also arrange for their strongest slaves to please them at the cost of their lives.

Arrange for slaves to fight, to wrestle with beasts, or to do very strenuous work, like being a strongman or something similar.

The white devils of the Union were laughing, while the dark-skinned people were suffering in agony, believing they should remember this date and the deep, indelible pain it brought to their ancestors!

These protests by people of color are ultimately only a part of the overall federal holiday arrangements.

The Wade family, one of the three largest plantation owners and slave owners in Licarle, left behind a great deal of resources here.

The departure of their members does not mean that these resources can also be taken away by them; these resources are now clearly in a state of "ownerlessness."

They don't belong to anyone; they belong solely to themselves. If they can acquire these resources through Governor Wade, it would be a supplement and a benefit to them.

Lance thought about it and felt there was nothing wrong with the suggestion. "I'll talk to Governor Wade."

He had already called Governor Wade when the election results came out, and they arranged to meet in early November.

With Governor Wade's victory, Lance's many projects can now proceed in Indenau. His goal is to completely control Indenau's liquor market and underground industry within six months, and then move further into South Yar'an, preparing for his next move to Christopher.

They then added some topics and nominated some people. Although the three old men didn't say much, William's opinion was their opinion.

“We plan to establish the Lawrence Business Group,” William brought up the topic, drawing everyone’s attention.

They didn't underestimate William just because he was the mayor of a small, insignificant city, since his daughter was Lance's wife.
Moreover, Lawrence Farms held a truly extraordinary place in Licarle's history, and losing them would be a heavy blow to the entire interest group.

On the contrary, having the votes and control over Lawrence Farm is what can stabilize the entire group.

According to William, as Lawrence Farm becomes increasingly wealthy, the three old men are also continuously expanding and increasing the size of the farm.

They were annexing the surrounding small farms, while smaller farms further afield would also attach themselves to Lawrence Farm, becoming their vassals.

This is a huge economic system. Many people may think it only produces some food and livestock, but these things are enough to have a huge impact on food prices in Likale State.

Not to mention the countless people who work for them.

Previously, Lawrence Farms only had access to a few produce supermarkets in the surrounding cities. They sold their products in these self-branded supermarkets, which made them a well-established local brand in Likale.

However, as their business grows larger, some members of the family believe that they should also establish a more complete and comprehensive group company to steadily develop the family's business.

This is a problem that almost every family faces in the process of growing and expanding, from starting out as a makeshift operation to becoming a group and a formalized entity.

William and his team have clearly done a lot of planning and research, and have a clear direction.

Lance did not object to this, saying, "If you need anything, you can tell me."

"There are no problems, whether it's in terms of funding or anything else."

The three old men smiled, their faces crinkling with wrinkles. This was their biggest concern right now, since the distillery belonged to Lance, not entirely to them. If one day the distillery's profits declined, or if Lance stopped producing the alcohol here, their profits would plummet, and they would be back to where they were before.

People who have made a lot of money find it hard to go back to the days when they made small amounts of money. So they discussed it and decided to take this opportunity to put the entire Lawrence family on a proper path of development.

The group then added several more names to the list, all of whom were local politicians or celebrities in Likalai, or well-known capitalists.

The talks continued into the evening.

In the evening, Lawrence Farm held a grand bonfire party as usual, where cowboys and farmers from the surrounding area gathered, and everyone had a genuine smile on their face.

Since things started to improve at Lawrence Farm, their lives have undergone a tremendous change.

In the past, after they finished planting their crops and feeding their livestock, they could only go to nearby towns to find some temporary work.

These jobs are not only unstable, but also don't pay very well.

Farmers' lives are not as good as city dwellers imagine. Those city people think that rural life is wonderful mainly because they project the lives of large farm owners onto the rural landscape, rather than the lives of ordinary farms.

Farming, raising livestock, and dealing with cow dung—these things are not only unromantic, but they also don't earn much money.

But as Lawrence Farm began to prosper, the lives of farmers on nearby farms changed dramatically.

Many of them directly transferred their farms and estates to the Lawrence family, and then worked for the Lawrence family on the farms.

Whether it's planting or raising livestock, they're doing the same work they were already doing before. Now, they not only get free meals, but they also don't have to pay for their own medical expenses if they get injured or sick, and they even get a bonus at the end of the month.

No wonder some slaves looked desperate when the federal president announced the abolition of slavery—their secure job was gone.

After slavery ended, they had to prepare their own clothes and food, and pay for their own medical treatment if they were injured or sick. Most importantly, they might lose their jobs.

During the era of slavery, this was simply impossible!

They felt they had been tricked by capital!
Now, some people on the Lawrence family's farm are enjoying the benefits that were only available under slavery.

If someone in the family becomes a cowboy on the farm, the income is even higher.

Especially those cowboys carrying guns, their monthly income was as high as seventy or eighty dollars, and some particularly elite old cowboys earned more than one hundred dollars.

The enormous profits from alcoholic beverages not only changed everything for the Lawrence family, but also those living around them, and their influence extended to many more people.

This illustrates the influence of large families, corporations, and factories on the local social environment during this period of federal rule!
If something happens to these large families, it often means that at least several thousand or even tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs in a short period of time.

To ensure their jobs aren't jeopardized by the actions of powerful families, these individuals actively support these families.

Sometimes people discover some very strange things, especially during this period.

When some factories go bankrupt and are liquidated, the workers inside will use tools to prevent those people from entering the factory, and sometimes they will even hurt people.

In the eyes of some people, these people who have been exploited and oppressed have actually begun to empathize with those who exploit and oppress them, and they often think that these people are hopeless and are born to be exploited.

But in reality, losing this job, especially during a recession, could mean a huge change in the fate of their entire family.

So whether they are workers in the city or farmers here, they all know how to protect their lives.

The farmers carried baskets filled with what they considered the most delicious food and fruit, as well as meat products such as ham.

They would approach these visitors with great enthusiasm, take out what they considered to be the best food from their baskets, and hand it to them.

As long as you're not worried about the hygiene of the food, you can enjoy a wide variety of delicious dishes here.

This was something that Governor Terry, Mayor Williams, and James, who had lived in the city for a long time, had never experienced before!
Mayor Williams sat down next to old Herbert. Looking at the people singing and dancing around the campfire, he said with some emotion, "I haven't seen a scene like this in a long time, since the Williams family donated the land to the Federation."

Mayor Williams didn't actually see any large farms when he was a child. At that time, most of their land had been turned into a city under development, leaving only a small farm on the west side of Goldenport City.

Later, they focused their main efforts on managing the city, and the farms were naturally incorporated into Golden Harbor City as political bargaining chips.

It can be said that the current Golden Harbor City is built on the foundation of the Williams family's farm, and of course, a small part of it is the Wade family's farm.

Before the Wade family left Goldenport City, their status was slightly higher than that of the Williams family. This was not based on which family's farm they owned more in the city, but rather because the Wade farm was much larger than the Williams farm in the past!

At its peak, Wade Farm reportedly had over 20,000 slaves working on the farm and in the factories, but when they finally freed the slaves, they found only 15,000.

This is why the Williams family has always been a prominent family in Golden Harbor City; after all, it's their land!

As people get older, they tend to reminisce about the past. For Mayor Williams, perhaps the carefree life he had on the farm as a child was the happiest time of his life.

Seeing the smiles on people's faces, glowing red from the bonfire, he was reminded of the happy days of his childhood.

"When I retire in two years, I might find a piece of land and build my own farm."

Herbert invited, "Isn't it boring for you to live alone?"

“If I’m not mistaken, your son James will definitely inherit what you have in the city. I don’t know your younger son very well, so I can’t make a judgment.”

"As for your siblings or other relatives, I think they would prefer to live in the city."

Mayor Williams nodded. "Although I'm reluctant to admit it, you're absolutely right."

This may be one of the changes brought about by wealth. People are no longer willing to suffer in the countryside; they prefer to have better living conditions and environment, that is, to live in wealthy areas of the city.

Herbert continued, "Then why don't you just move in with us!"

"If you're willing to do some farm work, I can have them find you a piece of land. Whatever you want to do, it's no problem."

"If you don't plan to do farm work and just want to enjoy rural life, that's fine too."

“We have two hunting trips every year. On regular holidays, like now, people gather here for bonfire parties.”

"I guarantee you won't have any burdens here!"

“You can own your own horse and ride it hunting, or just go for a ride.”

"If you find it too boring here, you can go back to the city."

"Lance built a railway next to it, and now it's very convenient for us to go to the city!"

Mayor Williams was somewhat tempted; perhaps this was the idyllic life he longed for.

"Thank you for your invitation. I will give it serious consideration."

(End of this chapter)