In the November 6, 1889 Newfoundland general election, Morris ran for the Liberal Party in the two-member district of Harbour Main.

In 1904 Morris was appointed as Speaker of the House, a position he held for the next four years even while his brother broke with the Bond government, resigned from the Cabinet and crossed the floor to sit with the opposition.

Morris kept in political life until 1917 when he resigned from the House of Assembly to accept the appointment as Judge of the Central District Court.

Morris was very influential in his many non political pursuits; he was a member of the Roman Catholic board of education for 28 years.

He chaired the recruiting committee for the Newfoundland Regiment from 1915 to 1918 and was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1919 for his efforts.