ate 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!"

"But if he wins--who will dare to criticise the wisdom of his policy
fifty years from to-day? If we lose, who will give us credit for our
high ideals of Civil Law in times of war? You have the chance to-day to
win. Leap into the saddle and command the obedience of every man, woman
and child in the South! Your Congress which assembles to-day is a weak
impossible body of men. They have nothing to do except to make foolish
speeches and hatch conspiracies against your administra