Evening star., 1954-11-10


FOLLOWING q the tert OF q
speech released yesterday by
Senator Mccarthy sphich he
plans to deliper In the Senate
IN its debate OF the censare
motion against him:
Mr.. President:
This week the United States
Senate convened In special ses-
sion to debate Senator Flanders
resolution to censure me. / take
1t, judging from declarations Of
individual Senators - made in
most cases without bothering to
study the Watkins Committee
record-that the resolution will
be approved. I will be censured.
Today I want to discuss with
you the implications, as I see
them, Of the censure vote.
There are two things about
censure that the American peo-
pie should understand. There is
one thing that censure unques-
tionably does to men. It does
mean that those who are lead
ing the fight against subversion
have been slowed down, and that
others who might otherwise have
been enlisted in the fight will
be discouraged from joining us
by the now-established hazards
of such a course. It thus does
mean that the Communist Party
has achieved a major victory.
Symbol Of Resistance to Reds.
But there is another thing that
the censure vote does not mean.
It does not mean that the Com
munists have achieved a perma-
nent success: it does not mean
that either the will or the ulti-
mate ability of the American
people to ferret out traitors and
security risks has been destroyed
or that their present leaders in
this fight have been intimidated.
Let me say. incidentally, that
it is not easy for a man to assert
that he is the symbol Of resist
ance to Communist subverSion-
that the Nations fate is in some
respects tied to his own fate. It
is much easier, I assure you. to
be coy, to play down ones per-
sonal role in this struggle for
freedom.
Self-effacement is always q
comfortable posture.
But I take 1t that you would
rather I be frank than coy; that
you would rather I acknowledge
and accept the fact that Nc
Carthyism is a household word
for describing a way Of dealing
with treason and the threat Of
treason. And so I shall.
Bearing on Communist Issue.
I am saying that the censure
vote is to be understood pri-
marily in terms Of its bearing on
the Communist issue. During
the course of the Senate debate
I shall have occasion to discuss
in some detail the specific
charges considered by the Wat
kins group. I shall be compar-
ing that committees report with
both the written and unwritten
record of its hearings. shall
point out the discrepancies, the
inaccuracies, the misrepresenta-
tions. OF course, in criticizing
q Senate committee I will run
the risk of some one reactivat-
ing Senator Flanders and setting
him a-going with a new censure
resolution. So be it. I shall
also call attention to the blatant
prejudice Of some of the Wat
kins committee members. I
shall discuss these things just to
keep the record straight.
But I would be missing the
point entirely, and would be
guilty of misleading you if I
were to suggest that the Senate
has made up its mind, or. that
the Watkins group made up it's
mind on the basis Of the petty
charges contained in the Flanders
resolution. Even my bitterest
enemy will admit, If he is hon.
est, that these matters would not
have been given a second thought
If some one other than Mccarthy
were involved.
Discusses Two Charges.
"Abuse" of Gen. zwicker? Why,
within the last months several
committee members have used
much stronger language towards
witnesses. No censure resolu-
ton has been offered in these
instances, and none will be.
Denouncing a Senate commit
tee and Its members? Why, Sem
ators have done this with vary
ing degrees of gusto from time
immemorial sometimes Gas I
believe to be the case with the
Gillette Committee) with justi-
flcation, sometimes without it
but always with impunity mas
much as this is a land Of free
speech.
My colleagues are perfectly
well aware that they would not
be in Washington this month
were it not for the fact that I
have been prominently involved
in the fight against Communist
subversion. That being the case,
let us not pretend otherwise.
If I lose on the censure vote.
It follows, Of course, that some
one else wins. Now I ask the
American people to consider
carefully. Who is it that wins?
And then, having answered that
question, I ask them to contem-
plate the shocking truth revealed
by the fact that the victors have
been able to win.
There is one group that Is
pretty sure about who has won.
Quotes Daily Worker.
When the Watkins committee
announced its recommendation
Of censure. the Communists made
no attempt to conceal their joy.