As soon as the Council took this action, the _Courant_ club was called together, and the whole matter canvassed. "The next thing will be an order that no one of us shall have a pair of breeches without permission from the Secretary of the Province," remarked one, sarcastically. "The Secretary has not brains enough to pass judgment upon some of our articles, and he is too English to judge rightly of New England necessities." "We should appear smart, tugging our articles over to the Secretary each week for his permission to print them," suggested James. "I shall never do it as long as my name is James Franklin." "Nor I," added one of the club. "Nor I," another. "Nor I," another still. There was but one mind in the company; and all were disposed to fight it out on the line of freedom of the press. "But, do you notice," added one of the club, "that no one but James Franklin is forbidden to publish the _Courant_? Some other person can publish it." "Sure enough, that is so," responded James, "and here is our way out of the difficulty." "Of course you can not publish it yourself," addressing James, "in defiance of this order of the Council." "Of course not; but Benjamin Franklin can do it, as he is not forbidden. How would that do?" "That can not be done, because he is only an apprentice," suggested a former speaker. "They can prove that he is your apprentice readily." "Well, I can meet that difficulty without any trouble," said James, who was intent upon evading the order of the Court. "Pray, tell us how? By changing the name of the paper?" "Not by any means. Now is not the time to part with a name that the magistrates and ministers are so much in love with." "How, then, can you meet the difficulty?" "Well, I can return his indenture, with his discharge upon the back of it, and he can show it in case of necessity. At the same time he can sign a new indenture that will be kept a secret." "Capital!" exclaimed one; "I never thought of that. The measure is a practical one, and I move that we reduce it to practice at once." "I support it with all my heart, not only as practical, but ingenious," added another. "It is honorable to meet the tyranny of the Council with an innocent subterfuge like that." All agreed to the plan, and adopted it enthusiastically. "Benjamin Franklin, Editor of the _Courant_," exclaimed a member of the club, rising from his seat and patting Benjamin on the shoulder. "Don't that sound well, my boy? Rather a young fellow to have in charge such an enterprise, but a match, I guess, for the General Court of the Province." "The youngest editor, proprietor, and publisher of a paper in the whole land, no doubt," suggested another. "But it is as true here as it is in other things, 'Old men for counsel, young men for war.' We are at war now, and we do not want an editor who will cry peace, when there is no peace."