Code of the Silver Sage

Hoping to eradicate the lawlessness plaguing the Arizona territory, newspaperman Fred Gately prints a letter asking the president to visit the area. But Fred's killed by secret gang leader Champion, who also plans to assassinate the president. Undercover officer Rocky Lane teams with his assistant, Nugget, and Fred's spunky daughter to combat Champion's head gunslinger.

An unusual script which features a plot of a presidential assassination, some thing that isn't covered in many westerns. Typically well done Republic oater starring Allan "Rocky" Lane along with Roy Barcroft as the villain is a fast-paced winner with plenty of intrigue, false identity, chases, and shootouts. Allan Lane is a particularly smart hero, figuring out where the false cavalry identification card was printed and finding the real bullet that killed the printing man. This is a solid western.

Code Of The Silver Sage finds Allan Lane on detached duty from the US Army. He's part of security for a visit to Arizona Territory by the President of the USA. The President is there in response to a plea from the editor of a local newspaper to do something about the outlaws rampaging throughout the area. The editor is shot for his troubles and his niece Kay Christopher has taken over the paper.

The mysterious figure behind the outlaws is Roy Barcroft who is a gun dealer and who has a touch of megalomania in him. He's got ambitions to no less set himself up as dictator of Arizona and conceives of a plan to assassinate POTUS to tell the world that Arizona is his turf.

We're never told which president he has in mind to shoot, but President Chester A. Arthur made a western trip during his term. Arizona was not on the itinerary though.

Barcroft is a real treat though, this and Mr. Logan on the Spin And Marty series for the Mickey Mouse Club might be his career roles.