Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy stunned the country and "received national attention with his shocking allegations of communists working within the United States government" (Dennis Morgan, Woman of Conscience Senator Margaret Chase Smith (St. James: Brandywine Press, 1994.) v.) in February 1950. Like many Senators, Margaret Chase Smith was concerned about any threat of communist infiltration. She asked to see the evidence McCarthy had and, after reviewing it, really did not understand how it proved anything. The Wisconsin Senator reminded his colleague from Maine that she had no legal background, reinforcing, temporarily, her own feeling that her lack of education "kept her from being able to recognize the relevance of her fellow Senator's evidence." (Ibid., 15)
She did not simply accept McCarthy's explanations. She went over his evidence again and again, always drawing the same conclusion: no concrete evidence really existed. McCarthy, meanwhile, continued making accusations on the floor of the Senate where he was protected by immunity. As Senator Smith wrote, "Week after week went by with charge after charge by Joe McCarthy which remained unproved. My doubts increased. Finally I became convinced that he simply was not going to come up with any proof to substantiate his charges." (Smith, Margaret Chase. Declaration of Conscience. ed. William C Lewis, Jr. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, 1972. p. 8)
But what could be done to stop him? By Whom? And at what cost? Initially, the junior Senator from Maine believed that the Democratic majority should deal with McCarthy, and expected at least one of the Democrats "to take the Senate Floor and make a major challenge to Joe." (Ibid., 9)
None of her male colleagues were willing to risk their political careers to stop the self-appointed "Communist hunter" from Wisconsin. Joseph McCarthy had not only the country, but also "the Senate paralyzed with fear." (Ibid., 10) People, including politicians, did not make public statements against him for fear that their names would appear on his infamous list.
On 1 June 1950, after obtaining the support of Senators Tobey, Aiken, Morse, Ives, Thye and Hendrickson, Margaret Chase Smith stood on the floor of the Senate and gave her first major speech, which she called a "Declaration of Conscience". She "spoke about a serious national condition . . . a national feeling of fear and frustration." (Ibid., 12)
She called on her colleagues to "do some soul-searching . . . on the manner in which we are performing our duty to the people of America--on the manner in which we are using abusing our individual powers and privileges." (Ibid., 13-14)
She criticized the Democratic Administration, not only for its foreign and domestic policies but also for its failure to act responsibly with regard to the charges of Communist infiltration. Although she never mentioned him by name, she implicitly chastised Joseph McCarthy for his role in further dividing the country "by confusion and suspicions that are bred in the United States Senate to spread like cancerous tentacles of 'know nothing, suspect everything' attitudes" (Ibid., 15)
She spoke on behalf of the American people who were "sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared" (Ibid., 14) because the exercise of free speech had been "so abused by some that it is not exercised by other." (Ibid.)
The speech lasted approximately fifteen minutes. Joseph McCarthy did not respond. Three Senators did, two Republicans and one Democrat. Senator Smith of New Jersey said that he was "in whole hearted agreement with everything she has said and I congratulate her and commend her for the magnificent speech she has just made." (Congressional Record, 81st Congress 1 June 1950, 7895.) Senator Hendrickson, who had signed the Declaration said, "The address was inspiring and thought provoking, and it sounded a clarion warning to which every one should pay heed." (Ibid.)
The Washington Post and New York Times ran stories about and included the full text of the speech. A Post editorial praised her: "Words that desperately needed to be said for the salvation of the country were spoken yesterday." ("Four Horsemen", Washington Post, 2 June 1950.) The editorial suggested she was "perhaps uniquely qualified to speak . . . because she is a woman . . . but above all because her disinterested patriotism and personal integrity are beyond question." (Ibid.)
An editorial in the Times said: "It was high time that some responsible Republicans in the Senate spoke up as a group" ("Plain Talk in the Senate", New York Times, 3 June 1950) against the party's implied support of Joseph McCarthy.
In a letter to the editor in the New York Times on 13 June 1950, Anne S. Goodrich wrote, "Mrs. Smith's talk lifted the whole controversy out of the realm of party bickering to a facing of the real issues. More power to her and the papers that back her."
Harold Ickes, writing in the New Republic's 19 June 1950 issue, stated that if women did not already have the right to vote, "the granting of the franchise would have been fully justified when Margaret Chase Smith spoke as she did in the Senate on June 1".
Dean Acheson, recalling his battle against McCarthyism, said that "for a long time the only other articulate support in Congress for decency came from Maine's Republican Senator, Margaret Chase Smith, and the honorable half dozen who joined her in her 'Declaration of Conscience'." (Acheson, Dean. "Dean Acheson Battles McCarthyism." eds. Stephen Ambrose and Douglas Brinkley. Witness to America. New York City: Harper Collins, 1999, 419)
Not everyone agreed with the opinions expressed in the "Declaration of Conscience", various newspaper condemned the speech, its author and her supporters.
Joseph McCarthy had "no comment on Mrs. Smith speech." ( Washington Post, 2 June 1950, 1.) His public silence did not mean, however, that he either supported or approved of his Maine colleague's statements. He referred Smith and her supporters "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." There had only been six signers. McCarthy included Senator Smith of New Jersey because he offered his support when the speech was delivered. (Smith, 21.)
Four of the five "Dwarfs" who had originally supported the "Declaration of Conscience" later redacted their statements for fear of reprisal. Only Senators Aiken and Morse "did not show any subsequent misgivings about the statement or signs of retreat and partial repudiation of it." (Ibid., 11)
In January 1951, seven months after the "Declaration of Conscience" speech, McCarthy, in an overt act of revenge, removed Smith from the Permanent Investigation Committee. (Ibid., 21.) Although he denied that the removal had anything to do with speech, Time magazine's 5 February 1951 issue featured a report entitled "McCarthy Gets His Lady".
In 1954, McCarthy tried, once again, to get revenge. Not satisfied with removing Smith from a committee, he intended to remove from the Senate! Robert Jones, McCarthy's hand picked candidate faced Smith in the primary on 21 June 1954. Margaret Chase Smith defeated "Joe's boy 5 to 1 and by almost eighty thousand votes." (Ibid., 56)
Within six months of Smith's overwhelming victory, the United States Senate formally censured Joseph McCarthy. Perhaps the Senators had finally realized that McCarthy needed to be stopped. Or perhaps, as suggested by Smith's biographers and Smith's editor (and administrative assistant), the men were finally willing to stand up to McCarthy a mere woman had defeated him.
Where are the senators today who will do as Senator Margaret Chase Smith did and stand up for what is right and listen to their consciences?