[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1421]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                            NO NOTHING PARTY

  (Mr. PASCRELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, there are stark similarities between 
what happened in the 1850s and now. You judge for yourself.
  In 1856, former President Millard Fillmore ran for President as part 
of the Know-Nothing group. A year after the failed attempt, most of the 
Know-Nothing supporters joined the newly formed Republican Party. You 
can't make this up.
  A primary concern of the Know-Nothing movement in the 1850s was the 
large number of Irish and German Catholics who were coming to the 
United States. A concern they repeatedly professed was a worry that the 
character of the country would be changed because they were coming 
here.
  Lincoln said this: ``As a nation, we begin by declaring that `all men 
are created equal.' We now practically read it `all men are created 
equal, except Negroes.' When the Know-Nothings get control, it will 
read `all men are created equal except Negroes, and foreigners, and 
Catholics.'''
  When it comes to this, I should prefer immigrating to some country 
where they make no pretense of loving liberty. Russia--oh, the 
similarities are unbelievable--where despotism can be taken pure, and 
without the base alloy of hypocrisy. That is the difference. But there 
are a lot of similarities.

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