Summary
Smith begins to make his speech, as Saunders motions to him from the gallery and advises him to consult his manual, rule 5, before proceeding. Rule 5 states that Smith has the right to call back the senators to listen to what he has to say, a "call to quorum." The senators file back into the Senate as Moore makes a call to break the news. Saunders and Moore are excited about the filibuster: Saunders because she has influenced the political process and Moore because it will be good for his journalism career.
Saunders tells Moore to stay on Smith's side and ride it out until Smith wins, as Moore begins to dictate his story into the phone. He says, "This is the most titanic battle of modern times. A David without even a slingshot rises to do battle against the mighty Goliath Taylor machine, allegedly crooked inside and out."
Meanwhile, Taylor and Paine are at Paine's house, where Taylor advises Paine to go back to the Senate. Paine is discouraged, however, insisting that Smith could win out and ruin their reputations. Taylor tells Paine, "If he even starts to convince those Senators, you might as well blow your brains out, you know that, don't ya?" and encourages Paine to return to the Senate floor. Taylor calls his contacts at various newspapers and orders them to smear Smith. He makes a concerted effort to discredit Smith not only in Washington, but also in the media in Smith's home state.
We see a montage of a series of headlines discrediting Smith. The senators meet to discuss the filibuster. "If you ask me, that young fellow's making a whole lot of sense," the president of the Senate says, and other senators voice agreement. Paine fights back, suggesting that Smith is trying to tank his reputation, and threatens to resign.
The Senate convenes as a radio announcer calls the filibuster "the American privilege of free speech in its most dramatic form." Smith reads aloud, exhausted by his own speaking, and he makes the entire room laugh with his earnest antics. Meanwhile, on the phone, Taylor tells a press contact, "We've gotta keep hammering this man until we smash him!"
Smith talks about his proposal for the boys' camp, saying, "I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn't have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness and a—a little lookin' out for the other fella, too...That's pretty important, all that. It's just the blood and bone and sinew of this democracy that some great men handed down to the human race, that's all. But of course, if you've got to build a dam where that boys' camp ought to be, to get some graft to pay off some political army or something, well that's a different thing."
He insists that he is not going to go back to his home state and tell the boys there that Jim Taylor won, and when no one responds, he whistles to get their attention. Everyone laughs as he continues, saying, "A guy like me should never be allowed to get in here in the first place. I know that! And I hate to stand here and try your patience like this, but either I'm dead right or I'm crazy."
After seven and a half hours, one of the senators proposes a recess until the morning, but after taking a cue from Saunders, Smith learns that if they adjourn, he will not have the floor in the morning, so he opts to continue on into the night. Suddenly a young page runs over to Smith delivering a book from Saunders. Smith opens the book and reads a note that reads, "You're wonderful. Press boys all with you—Read them Constitution next very slow. Diz says I'm in love with you. P.S. He's right." Smith looks shocked and pleased, and smiles up to Saunders.
He begins to read the Constitution aloud. Outside Saunders tells Moore she has an idea and dictates a message to Smith's mother to be printed in Jeff's publication, "Boys' Stuff." His small publication becomes the only uncensored news source in the state. The story exposes Taylor's corruption and holds Smith up as a hero and champion of the truth.
Back in the Senate, Smith continues to read the Constitution, even though most of the senators have left and many are asleep. We see the boys at Smith's press printing the "Boys' Stuff," then distributing them the next morning to various houses.
A parade breaks out in the town in Smith's honor, but the cops, under Taylor's instructions, try to subdue it with hoses. The struggle becomes a fight between adult men and young boys, and at one point we even see a truck of men crashing into a car carrying young boys. Tearfully, Mrs. Smith tells Saunders that children are getting hurt and that Smith needs to stop and Saunders agrees, hanging up with a worried expression.
The Senate convenes yet again, and as Saunders rushes in and tells Moore she has to stop him, Moore tells her that the senators are listening to Smith. Breathlessly, he says, "There's no place out there for graft or greed or lies! Or compromise with human liberties! And if that's what the grown-ups have done with this world that was given to them, then we'd better get those boys' camps started fast and see what the kids can do. And it's not too late. Because this country is bigger than the Taylors or you or me or anything else. Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here. You just have to see them again."
Paine stands and asks Smith to yield for a question, asking Smith if he is curious what the people from his state have to say about his filibuster. Paine then asks for permission to bring in evidence of the state's response to Smith's filibuster. When the doors are opened, messengers bring in piles of letters demanding that he yield the floor.
Smith goes towards the letters and looks at them, heartbroken. Saunders stands and yells, "Stop, Jeff, stop!" collapsing into sobs. Smith looks at the president of the Senate, then at Paine, saying, "I guess this is just another lost cause, Paine." He turns to his fellow senators, telling them that Paine used to say, "Lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for." Walking towards Paine's desk, Smith tries to reason with his father's old friend, telling him that he used to love him for the same reasons his father did, invoking the memory of his father's death.
"You all think I'm licked. Well, I'm not licked. And I'm gonna stay right here and fight for this lost cause, even if this room gets filled with lies like these!" Smith says, throwing the letters on the floor. Suddenly, Smith collapses in exhaustion in the pile of letters.
Paine stands and runs from the room as someone announces that Smith fainted. In the hall, Paine tries to shoot himself, but is stopped and brought back into the Senate, where he reveals that Smith has been telling the truth and the Senate erupts in cheers.
The president of the Senate calls for order, but everyone is too excited by the news.
Analysis
All of the characters working for the common good get what they want through Smith's filibuster. Smith gets a chance to speak his piece, Saunders influences the government to fight corruption, and Moore gets a story that will help his career as a journalist. The film situates the truth at the center of the story, an anchoring theme around which the various honest characters—Diz Moore, Clarissa Saunders, and Jefferson Smith—can all gather.
The film exposes not only the corruption in politics, but the corruption of the press as well, and journalists' complicity in spreading false information. When Taylor sees that Smith is not planning to give up in his cause, he calls the press and tells them to start writing stories discrediting the young novice. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington shows a Washington in which politicians and journalists alike are just trying to get ahead, looking out for themselves before they look out for the common good.
Smith's gall and bravery work in his favor, as many of his fellow senators believe that he would only stage such a strong counterattack on his accusers if he was sincere. For the first time in the film, it is Smith's earnest belief in the American political process, his lack of spin, and his inability to play the game, that lends him some plausibility. His ability to withstand such opposition gives him some credence, as indeed Smith has nothing to hide.
After starting out his political career with such hesitance, Smith transforms into a ferocious political force to be reckoned with when he initiates the filibuster. Tired and pushed to the limits of his patience and energy, his polite stammering is replaced with a roar, as he explains his vision of a boys' camp, a place where human decency is cultivated among children to prepare them for the world. Without fear, he blasts Taylor's project of personal greed, modulating his voice with passion and insisting on the highest ethical standards.
More than his idealism and his sense of possibility, it is Smith's resilience and determination that win the day in the end. The filibuster becomes a literal representation of his sense of purpose and his tenacity, as he maintains the floor long after his body has betrayed him and his desire to sleep has overtaken him. Even then, he continues to fight, speaking with a purity of purpose and a forthright attitude that distinguishes him as genuine and committed to something other than selfish interest.
