McLaughlin Stumbles
The 1940s was a turning point for McLaughlin. He began making increasingly worse decisions and stopped taking advice from people like Judge Ledgerwood.
During World War II the Army Navy General Hospital, had put in some slots for an officer’s club. They did not count on McLaughlin taking affront based on his previous record. However, he seized the machines and stated they were illegal. This action left him a black eye because the war had changed the citizens' attitudes and they felt that the mayor was being petty. They no longer tolerated McLaughlin’s corrupt administration.
In 1942, a municipal airport was constructed in Hot Springs. McLaughlin had no interest until the committee decided to name it McLaughlin Field. Most politicians would avoid this, because it would garner negative attention, but this stoked his vanity and he approved whole heartedly. Over 5,000 people signed a petition to change the name and was unsuccessful.