Declaration of Conscience,
"...I think that it is high time that we
remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think
that it is high time that we remembered that the Constitution, as amended,
speaks not only of the freedom of speech, but also of trial by jury instead of
trial by accusation.
Whether it be a criminal prosecution in court
or a character prosecution in the Senate, there is little practical distinction
when the life of a person has been ruined.
Those of us who shout the loudest about
Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those
who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of
Americanism -
The right to criticize;
The right to hold unpopular beliefs;
The right to protest;
The right of independent thought.
...The American people are sick and tired of
being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as
"Communists" or "Fascists" by their opponents. Freedom of
speech is not what it used to be in
Source:
"Declaration of Conscience" by Senator Margaret Chase Smith and
Statement of Seven Senators,