The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1860-03-30
GREAT TARIFF SPEECH,
DELIVERED BY
HEN RY d. FOSTER.
IN CONGRESS, DECEMBER 18TH, 1914.
From the Congressional Globe


Mr.. FOSTER, after adverting TO the unex-
Pected and hasty manner in which the bill ito
remit the duties on railroad ironl had been
brought forward, and remarking that Pennsy +
yanla had been accustomed to consider the tar
III question as one to be treated on general prn-
clples, proceeded to express his regret that his
colleague Mr.. f. Joy Morrisl had alluded to
the recent canvass in Pennsylvania as he had
dOne. AS a member of this House from Penn
syIvania, as native of Pennsylvania, he felt
proud OF that great State and he would not
allow himself, here or elsewhere, as his col
league bad done, TO charge the people Of Penn
sylvanla with acting under false or fraudulent
motives on the subject of the tariff II the
whIg party had carried the State, Mr.. F. es-
teemed that party so highly, that, before the ma
tIonal Legislature, he would not have been found
making such charge. He knew the manner
IN which the canvass had been conducted and
when the gentleman came TO speak Of it, as it
had been carried or IN his Mr. Foster'sl coun-
iy, and to declare that the people had acted un-
Ger such influences, he had mistaken them
They had acted under no delusion. The tariff
Gu s.ion was the one which, IN the late canvass
IN Pennsylvania, had deeply agitated he pub
lie mind. They had been told by their whig
friends there, and generally throughout the
country, that, by the election OF Mr.. Polk, the
iron and coal interests of Pennsylvania were TO
be trodden down but he had declared 10 them
that the profession that the whig party were
the only friends 10 the protection of the iron
interest Of Pennsy lvania, was hollow and un-
sound, that at the last session of Congress, in
The Senate Of the United States, the first blow
al the iron interest, had sprung from a member
of the whig PARTY from Name and although
distinguished Senator from Georgia had made
pilgrimage 10 Pennsylvania to tell the people OF
that State that protection TO that great interest
could only be looked Tor from the whig party,
yet when they turned TO the Journal of the Sem
ale, they found the vote Of that Senator recor-
ded against the tariff of 1912, and in favor OF
the bill of he gentleman from Maine, TO reduce
the duty Oh railroad iron. Had he been mis-
taken when he bad told the people of his State
thGt for fair, equitable, honorable adjustment
Of the tariff system, they must not rely on the
wing party alone What did we see now
4thes FIRST movement az ths Present session oi al
tacklng the great interests Of Pennsy ylvania,
cid it come from the Democracy of the North,
the South, the East or The West No; but
from prominent whig member Of this House.
10000 Of the people of Pennsylvania had
been delUded, he :old him that he did not know
that people, Had the gentleman coEfned.hIs re-
marks 10 the people of his own district, it was
very probable that he might have some perso-
nal reasons therefor. But the people of Penn
sylvania had had all the lights OF the people OF
the whoe'U Mon a four horse wagon would not
hold Ill the documents thrown into that one dis
tric! by Whig writers and oratorS.-But he was
sorry, as he had observed, that bis colleague had
dragged before this assembly. any question Of
this kind neither he nor any other man who
might have attempted it at the last election, had
been successful in misleading the people upon
the question olthe tariff, or any other. The
question Of protection of the iron interest, was
one deeply telt BY Pennsylvania 1t might not,
perhaps, b. known TO this House, that in Penn
syls aria alone, there was one establishment, in
the Western part OF the State, where they could
manufacture railroad iron to the amount Of be-
tween 50 10 100 tons per week. MIR. Z. also
referred 10 one or two other establishments
which were manufacturing to like extent
They had been told by he gentleman from
South Carolina Mr.. Homesl that Pennsyiva-
MIA at one time introduced large quantities OF
imported railroad IRON. For ten years prior 10
lS4l, railroad iron had been admitted free of
duty. Then no railroad iron had been manu-
iaciurPd in the Union, then no capital had been
invested in this country in lis manuiactu:e.-
But, let him tell the gentleman from Pennsyl-
vania, that Pennsy lvania, when she did import
that railroad iron free of duty, paid twelve dol
lars more per ion than she could now manufac-
ture it Tor. 1t lad been free of duty for ten
wears foreigners then had control oi the whole
market domestic competition there was none.
Then she had paid sixty dollars per ton for
railroad iron and he pledged himseI: here that
her manufacturers were ready TO contract now,
where contracts could be made, at forty eight
dollars per ton.
MR.. HOLMES interposed, and asked if he
understood the gentleman to say that the T rail
could now be obtained here IN any quantity?
Mr.. FOSTER replied in the affirmative.
MR.. HOLMES. Well, will take con-
tract Of the gentleman. am authorized 10 do
SO by the railroads.
Several voices: "Draw writings" Laugh
ter
Mr.. HOLMES. The gentleman will fur
nish il at St8 per ton, free of duty
Mr.. BURLINGTON replied that contracts
could be made, and would be willingly made,
at 500 per ton.
Mr.. HOLMES. The T iron
Mr.. BURLINGTON. Any iron.
The conclusion of the bargain was not heard
by the reporter; but
Mr.. PHOENIX came forward and was un-
derstood to say that he would be glad to take
quantity Of the gentleman's iron at the price he
had stated. Laughter.l
Mr.. FOSTER continued. The establishments
in Pennsy lvania and in Maryland were area-
dy prepared TO make large contracts for the fur