"Just what I say. Stop in time. We inaugurated a Provisional Government at Montgomery to last one year. Why one year? Because we believed the war would be over before that year expired. It would have been madness to provide for the establishment of the elaborate and clumsy forms of a Constitutional Government during the progress of war. Why set up a Constitution until you have won by the sword the power to maintain it?" "But," Davis interrupted, "if we delay the adoption of a Constitution we confess to the world our want of confidence in the success of our cause. Such a permanent Constitution will be to our people the supreme sign of faith--" "With these jackals and hyenas of the press yelping and snarling and snapping at your heels? These men will destroy the faith of our best men and women if you only allow them to repeat their lies often enough. They will believe them at last, themselves. You have the confidence to-day of the whole South. Your bitterest enemy could not name a candidate to oppose your election last November. Give these traitors time and they will change all--" "Not with military success--" "Granted. But if these jackals break down the confidence of the people in the administration, volunteering ceases and we have no army." "We must use the Conscription. It is inevitable--" "Exactly!" the Secretary cried triumphantly. "And Conscription is the _reductio ad absurdum_ of your dream of Constitutional Law. Why set up a Constitution at all to-day?" "Congress must pass a Conscript law when necessity demands it." "In their own way, yes--with ifs and ands and clauses which defeat its purpose." "They must respond to the demands of our people when their patriotism is aroused." "Our people have patriotism to spare if we can only guide it in the right direction. If it goes to seed in the personal quarrels of generals, if it exhausts itself in abuse of the Executive, while an overwhelming enemy marches on us--What then?" The President lifted his head. "And you recommend?" "Stop this ceremony. Refuse the position of permanent President and use your powers as Provisional President in a Military Dictatorship until the South wins--" "Never!" was the quick reply. "I'll go down in eternal defeat sooner than win an empire by such betrayal of the trust imposed in me--" "You're not betraying the trust imposed in you by assuming these powers!" Benjamin exclaimed with passion. "You're fulfilling that trust. You're doing what the people have called you to do--establishing the independence of the South! The Government at Washington has been compelled to exercise despotic powers from the first--" "Exactly--and that's why we can't afford to do it. We are fighting the battle of the North and the South for Constitutional liberty." "Even so, if we lose and they win, the cause is lost. Seward is now imprisoning thousands of Northern men who have dared to sympathize with us--" "An act of infamous tyranny!"