I believe it is time to include not only the wisdom of our Founders on this site but to also include what I will call The Preservers. Men and women who in times of great peril stood up for Constitutional Values. Today is not the first time this country has experienced an assault on its values by over zealous political figures. On June 1, 1950, Senator Margaret Chase Smith stood up to Senator Joseph McCarthy, who was smearing members of the opposing party. He promoted vast fictional conspiracies which destroyed the careers of thousands. A Senate member of the same political party as Mr McCarthy she delivered her famous Declaration of Conscience,
“I think that it is high time for the United States Senate and its members to do some real soul searching and to weigh our consciences as to the manner in which we are performing our duty to the people of America and the manner in which we are using or abusing our individual powers and privileges. . . . I do not want to see the my party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny—Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear.” “I
That was 1950. Seventy Five years later it is time for our elected officials no matter what their party affiliation to stand up and once again face down the Four Horsemen of Calumny.