Speaker. the adoption of this rule is undoubtedly for the purpose of facilitating legislation. but I desire to call the attention of the House. and especially of the Democratic side. to the fact that included in this special rule are some measures of recent origin. the necessity for whose consideration is likewise of recent origin. Some of them have not been considered before any committee in their present form until recently. We find in the Republican platform of 1896 language committing that party to the passage of a law to protect American labor against the pauper immigrants from Europe. In that platform this party declares that the reading and writing test is one of the ways of attaining the desired end. The Republican Party has passed through the Senate just such a bill. and it is now formally before this House. In 1896 the Democratic platform said in words: we hold that the most efficient way of protecting American labor is to prevent the importation of foreign pauper labor to compete with It in the home market. There is a bill which has been reported from a Democratic committee of this House for more than two months carrying into execution that pledge of the Democratic platform of 1896. Sixteen years ago. when our party put that language in our platform. we were without power to perform.
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foreign pauper immigrants