Nearly 75 years ago, on June 1, 1950, Maine Sen. Margaret Chase Smith stood on the floor of the United States Senate and delivered her “Declaration of Conscience” speech – a powerful stand against what she perceived as abuses of power in the federal government.
“It is high time that we all stopped being tools and victims of totalitarian techniques – techniques that, if continued here unchecked, will surely end what we have come to cherish as the American way of life,” she said.
On the 60th anniversary of that speech in 2010, Sen. Susan Collins lauded the principles outlined by Smith, praising it as “courageous” and “heroic.”
“She called on her colleagues to reject political exploitation, intimidation and fear tactics, and to defend the right of all Americans to freedom of speech and the right to independent thought,” Sen. Collins said that day. “She had the integrity to speak out for what is right, though it was not politically popular.”
Now, in 2025, it is time for Sen. Collins to meet the current moment and live up to her own words. She is the seventh-most senior member of the Senate. She is the most senior Republican woman in the Senate. And she is the current chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Sen. Collins has both the power and seniority to push back against the actions of the Trump administration, which continues to assault the rule of law by flagrantly and intentionally disregarding the U.S. Constitution and the separation of powers. It is my hope, and the hopes of many of the people that I have the privilege to represent, that she will stand up for the people of Maine.
The words of Sen. Smith echo true today: “It’s high time for the United States Senate and its members to do some real soul-searching.”
Rep. Michael Ray is serving his first term in the Maine House and represents Appleton, Islesboro, Liberty, Lincolnville, Montville, Morrill and Searsmont. He is a member of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.