or military commanders. Despite Jefferson Davis's bitter Congressional critics, he dominated the Congress throughout most of the war until near the very end. Davis vetoed thirty-nine bills in total, deemed unconstitutional or unwise, and these were upheld in the Congress for all but the bill for free postage for newspapers addressed to soldiers. The election of 1863 to seat the Second Confederate Congress hinged on a referendum on the administration's war program. Among the 40% of the total elected membership who ran on opposition, there was little reservation about expressing their reservations about various administration proposals. The five unoccupied states where most of the opposition were drawn had 59 districts in the House (56%). Oppositionists obtained 36 members, with 61% of those districts in opposition. These elections were held among resident voters rather than in army camps by state regiment. However, Davis was practically invulnerable to personal criticism (although individual cabinet members or Generals came under Congressional attack from time to time). All things considered, the Confederate government ran more smoothly than that of the United States, where Lincoln faced congressional committees of inquiry. Davis did have influence over the Confederate Congress, primarily from agreement based on ideology, but, without party discipline in Congress, Davis was frustrated in his execution of proposed policy by lengthy deliberations, amendments and the occasional rejection. The administration was fundamentally sustained by support from the Congress for three principal reasons. First, Congressional membership universally wanted to win the war. Its members deferred to Davis's suggestions whenever they could out of patriotism. When they did not, they were unobtrusive in their opposition. Opposition strategy was focused on modifying proposals rather than rejecting them out of hand. Second, the opposition lacked a consistent membership. Most administration opponents backed several elements of the Davis war program, and that program itself changed, along with public reaction to it. There was no consistent pressure from the electorate to oppose Davis, and no organizational loyalty to a formal opposition caucus. Third, as the Second Congress began, six states were largely in enemy hands. The administration received its main support from them: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. These states had 47 districts in the House (44%), and they had only 5 (10%) opponents of the administration. During the Second Congress, the administration was defeated on four major issues. First, Davis wanted complete control over conscription exemptions to determine who would