Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics




	Early Career Political Career Political Philosophy Labor Rights Vietnam War Death Penalty Plaque Dedication Contact Us Site Map Home			About Wayne Morse - Death Penalty During his career, Senator Morse was opposed to the death penalty, stating, “I do not think any bar of judgment set up by man has the moral or spiritual right to substitute itself for the Almighty.” In 1967 he co-sponsored a bill to abolish the death penalty in the United States, along with Senator Mark Hatfield and others. Although he was always a strong supporter of law enforcement, Morse was also a relentless advocate for all forms of Constitutional protection under the law. In 1963, he introduced bills to promote the right to a speedy trial and to prevent the publishing of information outside of the courtroom in criminal cases. During Senate debate on a bill to provide for a more effective control of narcotics in 1956, Morse expressed his ardent support for an amendment to strike a provision in the bill imposing capital punishment as one of the penalties. He professed: "Human life does not belong to the Government. Human life belongs to God. I shall never, as a United States Senator, sit in this body and vote to take human life as a penalty for the transgression of temporal law. I hold to the view that it is before the bar of God's judgment and only before that bar, that human life should be taken." In the more than thirty years since his departure from the Senate, the country is still grappling with the issues Morse addressed. The labor movement still suffers from the impact of the Taft-Hartley Act, and critics of the World Trade Organization lead frequent demonstrations against the growing power of corporate interests. Voters are still subjected to the “sound bite” politics that made one of its first appearances during Morse's televised debate against Robert Packwood in 1968. Citizens are still grappling with the law and politics of the death penalty. And the United States has engaged in several military conflicts in accord with the War Powers Resolution, a legacy from the undeclared war in Vietnam. The issues Morse tackled as Senator continue to shape today's politics.
				Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics 1221 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1221 Phone: (541) 346-3700, Fax: (541) 346-1564

About Wayne Morse - Death Penalty