Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, his coat draped over a greying sling, arose on the floor of the U.S. Senate last week to hasten the moment of decision. On the previous day in the living room of his home, Joe had disclosed his intention to his lawyer. He saw censure as inevitable, and was eager to get it over with. Therefore, he said, he would move to limit debate on his censure.
To the Senate, McCarthy said that he had never meant to offend anyone. "I admit," said he, "that at times I have been extremely blunt in expressing my opinions. I do not claim to be a master of words." But, lest anyone think he was really apologizing, he added: "In the facts and opinions that I held, I am unchanged." Then he made his motion to cut off debate after two more days. After hours of wrangling, the Senate agreed.
An eloquent argument for censure came from Connecticut's Republican Senator Prescott Bush. McCarthy, said Bush, has "caused dangerous divisions among the American people because of his attitude and the attitude he has encouraged among his followers: that there can be no honest differences of opinion with him. Either you must follow Senator McCarthy blindly, not daring to express any doubts or disagreements about any of his actions, or, in his eyes, you must be a Communist, a Communist sympathizer, or a fool who has been duped by the Communist line." Bush defended Censure Committee Chairman Arthur Watkins from the abuse suffered at Joe's hands. Said he: "Mr. President, if I have ever met a brave and noble Senator, Arthur Watkins is that man. And, Mr. President, I for one will not walk off and leave him standing in this chamber with a coward tag on him—not without protest."
Noel, Noel. A while later, Illinois' Republican Senator Everett Dirksen launched into a seasonal mercy speech. "I had a moment to spend downtown the other day," he said. "I could hear the Gramophones and radios pealing out the lovely words and phrases which somehow give animation to people in this one season and that somehow soften the spirit—Hark! the Herald Angels Sing and 0, Little Town of Bethlehem." The members of the Senate, suggested Dirksen, should soften their spirits toward Joe McCarthy.
Shortly after Dirksen finished came one of the strangest performances of last or any other week. Republican Leader William Knowland announced that he had decided not to support the Watkins committee in its recommendation of censure. His argument: McCarthy's offenses had been committed before McCarthy's re-election in 1952.
It was Knowland himself who last Aug 2 made the motion to establish a committee to consider charges against McCarthy. He was not a lawyer, he said then, and he was unwilling to vote on censure until an able, honest committee of lawyers had made recommendations.
It was Knowland who selected the Republican members of the Watkins committee—much against their will. On Aug. 5 he told the Senate that he so trusted the committee members that he would be willing to stand trial for his life before them.
The members of the committee, drafted by Leader Knowland, started their task with the implicit understanding that Knowland would stand behind them and would help protect them against the inevitable attacks from McCarthy.