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Quote by Margaret Chase Smith

“The United States Senate has long enjoyed worldwide respect as the greatest deliberative body in the world. But recently that deliberative character has too often been debased to the level of a forum of hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity. It is ironical that we senators can in debate in the Senate, directly or indirectly, by any form of words, impute to any American who is not a senator any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming an American--and without that non-senator American having any legal redress against us--yet if we say the same thing in the Senate about our colleagues we can be stopped on the grounds of being out of order. It is strange that we can verbally attack anyone else without restraint and with full protection, and yet we hold ourselves above the same type of criticism here on the Senate floor.”

Quote by Margaret Chase Smith

Author

Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Chase Smith

Margaret Chase Smith was a distinguished American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Maine. Born on December 14, 1897, she was the first woman to serve in both houses of the Maine state legislature and the first woman to represent Maine in the U.S. Senate. Known for her conservative views and her stance against McCarthyism, Smith passed away on May 29, 1995. more

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