When Randall returned to Washington in 1881 to begin his term in the 47th Congress, the legislature was controlled by Republicans. After Garfield's assassination later that year, Vice President Chester A. Arthur assumed the presidency. Arthur, like most Republicans, favored high tariffs, but he sought to simplify the tariff structure and to reduce excise taxes. Randall, who had returned to his seat on the Appropriations Committee, favored the president's plan, and was among the few Democrats in the House to support it. The bill that emerged from the Ways and Means Committee, dominated by protectionists, provided for only a 10 percent reduction. After conference with the Senate, the resulting bill had an even smaller effect, reducing tariffs by an average of 1.47 percent. It passed both houses narrowly on March 3, 1883, the last full day of the 47th Congress; Arthur signed the measure into law. Toward the end, Randall took less part in the debate, feeling the tension between his supporters in the House, who wanted more reductions, and his constituents at home, who wanted less.