The Senator (1915)

Synopsis
The Senator could be described as a Capra-esque film drama -- and never mind that Frank Capra wouldn't direct his first picture until 1922. Charles J. Ross plays Senator Rivers, freshman constituent from Missouri. His first order of business is to provide compensation owed by the government to a poverty-stricken old man named Silas Denman (Ben Graham). It seems that, back during the Revolutionary War, Denman's great-great-grandfather permitted the Colonial navy to use his ship during an important sea battle. The owner's family was promised payment, with interest, but no such remuneration was forthcoming. Battling bureaucratic red tape, Senator Rivers manages to win Denman's case and also wins the old man's pretty daughter Mabel (Constance Molineaux). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide