“I’ll see them damned first!”
“Neutrality!” commented the Governor acidly.
“War!” retorted the owner of The Guardian.
With an obvious effort “Smiling Mart” summoned his beam from out the gloom and set it on guard again.
“When it comes to the pinch you’ll find me as ready to fight as anybody,” he asserted. “The only difference between your position and mine is that I want to be perfectly sure it’s right and inevitable.”
“The State Council of Defense is a long step in the right direction.”
“It must n’t be too long a step, though,” the Governor pointed out. “It’s defense, not offense, that’s our purpose. By the way, do you know that there is an old act of the Legislature empowering the Governor to appoint such a body?”
“Fine!” said Jeremy heartily. “Then you can do the whole business at to-morrow’s meeting.”
“Yes; but I thought it advisable to have the formal approval of a State-wide representative body, such as I’ve called together, for the moral effect—and the political,” he added.
“You’ve made it non-partisan?” asked Jeremy.