Chairman. the Republican Party in 1896. When the lamented McKinley was a candidate. adopted a plank in its platform favoring -this legislationan educational test. A similar plank Nwas carried in the platform of the Democratic -Party. :Both parties were pledged In favor of the restriction of inndesirible immigration. President McKinley was elected upon that platform by an unprecedented majority. No subsequent party platform !has repudiated or changed or modified the.declarations proclaimed by both parties at that time. How .many foreign immigrants were we receiving in the year when both parties went upon record in favor of -keeping out undesirable inmigration? We were receiving 343.267. and the illiterates over 14 yearsof age numbered 83.196. The population of the United States at that time was 70.884.554. In 1914. prior to the present European war. we received 1.218.4S0. and the illiterates over 14 years of age numbered 263.226. We increased our foreign population. our immigration. in the year 1914. 875.000 over the number landed the year the Republican and Democratic Parties declared in favor of restricting immigration. President Wilson. in 1902. in his history of the American -people. stated 1we were receiving too many of what lie teriued " the lowest class of people from southern Italy and themeaner sort from -Hungary andPoland." and that "the Chinaman was to be preferred as a workingman. if not as a citizen. tothe coarse crew " we were receiving from those countries. How many were we receiving at that time? We received that year 165.101 illiterates and in 1914. 263.225. Now. taking the total number of immigrants. in 1913 we received more than double the number landed the year President Wilson wrote his condemnation of undesirable immigration. The gentleman from "MAaryland is indignant about an alleged criticism made on the floor of this House against the immigrants from southern Italy. I call his attention to -the criticism of the President of his own party. on the character of immigrants we have received from southern Italy. I
Identified stereotypes
People from Southern Italy, Hungary, and Poland are the lowest class of people.