Part 55 (2/2)
”They'll sting you to death--I warn you--no administration on earth can live in times of war and endure such infamous abuse as these conspirators are now heaping on your head. And mark you--they have only begun. The junta of disgruntled generals which they have organized will strangle the cause of the South unless you grip the situation to-day with a hand of steel. They are laying their plans in the new Congress to paralyze your work and heap on your head the scorn of the world.”
The President moved with a gesture of impatience.
”I've told you, Benjamin, that I will not suppress these papers nor sign your order for the arrest of the editors. I am leading the cause of a great people to preserve Const.i.tutional liberty. Freedom of speech is one of their rights--”
”In times of peace, yes--but not in the crisis of war when the tongue of a fool may betray the lives of millions. I am not here merely to ask you to suppress these three treacherous rags--I'm here to ask a bigger and far more important thing. I want you to stop this inaugural ceremony to-day--”
Davis rose with a quick excited movement.
”What do you mean?”
”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 Const.i.tutional Government during the progress of war. Why set up a Const.i.tution until you have won by the sword the power to maintain it?”
”But,” Davis interrupted, ”if we delay the adoption of a Const.i.tution we confess to the world our want of confidence in the success of our cause.
Such a permanent Const.i.tution 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 Const.i.tutional Law. Why set up a Const.i.tution at all to-day?”
”Congress must pa.s.s 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 Dictators.h.i.+p 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 a.s.suming these powers!” Benjamin exclaimed with pa.s.sion. ”You're fulfilling that trust.
You're doing what the people have called you to do--establis.h.i.+ng the independence of the South! The Government at Was.h.i.+ngton 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 Const.i.tutional liberty.”
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