Listening through the speeches of Wayne Morse throughout his 1956 campaign for the Senate, there emerges a number of notable themes: the fiery rhetoric, the attacks on the welfare of farmers, the defense of his switch to the Democratic side of the aisle.
For that reason, his speech at the University of Florida stands out. Delivered to a hall full of law students at the Gainesville campus on May 10, 1955, the speech presents a glimpse not of Morse the politician, but of Morse the law professor, who chaired the University of Oregon Law School for nearly a decade.
His comfort in this setting is apparent from his opening remarks, in which he quips about his habit of speaking without notes:
Speaking to this audience of out-of-state students (who, crucially, will not have a say as to whether he is re-elected the following year), he puts away the swords so often pointed at his critics and the press. In fact, Morse offers level-headed and generous views on the media, labeling it America’s foremost educational institution:
The bulk of his talk focuses on the theme of conscience, a notion that he realizes doesn’t often get mentioned in either law or politics. Providing an insider view onto the Senate floor, Morse notes the incredible good that could be done in government if Congressmen were able to vote their conscience, rather than their party:
In another sign that Morse isn’t speaking to his constituents, he delivers perhaps his most controversial point of the talk: that he often throws mail from voters right in the waste basket. With oratorical skill, he manages to turn this point into a lucid defense of his job to represent all the people of Oregon rather than serve a few of them:
Adopting a more pedantic tone, Morse turns to the responsibility of citizens to tend to their government, posing the question: Who’s more guilty, the corrupt politician or the voter who lets him get away with it?
In closing, Morse charges his audience of future lawyers and politicians to “rededicate (themselves) to the ideals of representative government.” The passage could serve as the final charge in a commencement speech, such is its inspirational toneL
Wayne Morse at the University of Florida
May 10, 1955
Text and Digitized Audio by J.D. Swerzenski
