Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-04-21
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
SPEECH OF HENRY d. FOSTER,
In Defense of Pennsylvania interests In Congress,
December 10, 1874.

SPEEClt VI HENh1 ~. rODl bN,
In Defense of PENNSYLVANIA interests In Congress,
December 1s, 1874
Mr.. Foster, after adverting to the unex-
pected and hasty manner in whicn the bill
Ito remit the duties on railroad iron) had
been brought forward, and remarliing that
PENNSYLVANIA had been accustomed to
consider the tariff question as one to be
treated on general principles, proceeded
to express his regret that his colleague
Mr.. 4. Joy Morris had alluded to the
recent canvas, in Pennsylvania as he had
done. As member Of this House from
Pennsylvania, as native of Pennsylvania
he felt proud of that great State and he
would not allow himself here or elsewhere
as bis colleague had done, to charge the
people of Pennsylvania with acting under
false or fraudulent motives on the subject
of the tariff. Ii the Wing party had car
ried the State, Mr.. L. esteemed that party
80 highly, that, before the national legis
lature, he would not have been found ma
king such charge. He knew the man
ner in which the canvass had been con
Quoted and when the gentleman came to
speak of it, as it had been carried on i'll
his Mr.. Fosters county, and to declare
that the people had acted under such inhu
encGs, he had mistaken them. They had
acted under no deu,ion. The tariff ques-
ton was the one which, in the late canvass
in Pcnn., lvania lad deeply agitatcd the
public mind. They had been told BY their
Whg friends there, and generally through
out the country, that, by the election of
Mr. Polk, the iron and coal interests of
PENNSYLVANIA we're to be trodden down !;
but be had declared to them that the pro-
fession that the whig party were the only
friends to the protection otthc iron interest
Of Pcnnsy ylyania, was hollow and unsound;
that at the last session of Congress, in the
Senate Of the United States, the first blow
at the iron interest, has sprung from a
member Of the whig party from Maine
and although distinguished Senator from
Georgia had made Il pilgrimage to Penn
sylvania to tell the people OF that State
that protection to that great interest could
only be looked for from the Wing party,
yet when they turned to the Journal OF the
Senate, they found the vote of that Scna-
tor recorded against the tariff Of 1912 and
in favor of the bill OF the Gentleman from
Maine, to reduce the duty on railroad iron.
/ Had he been mistaken when be had told
tie people Of his State that for fair cqui-
table, honorable ajustmcnt of the tariff
system, they must not rely on the Whia
party alone. What did we see now -
! ihe first movement at the present session
OF attacking the great interests OF Penn
sylyania, dld it come from the Democracy
OF the North, the South the East or the
/ West No; but from prominent Wing
member OF this House. Now, when this
colleague undertook to say that l7o 200 Of
the people Of Pennsylvania had been dclu-
dcd, hc told him that be did not know that
people. Had tue gentleman coutned his
remarks to the people Of his own district, it
was very probab,e that he might have
some personal REASONS therefor. But the
people Of Pennsylvania had had all the
light, Of til" peopi2 Of the whole Union ;
IL four-horSe wagon would not hold all the
/ documents thrown into shat one district by
Wing writer's AMI orators. But h. was
sorry, us hJ had observed, that his col
league had dragged before this assembly
any question of this kind; neither he or
any other man who might have attempted
it at the last election, had been surccssini
in misleading the people upon the question
of the tariff, or any other, The question
of protection Of the iron interest, was one
deeply felt by Pennsylvania. 1t might
not, perhaps, b. known to this House ,that
in Pennsylvania alone, there was one es
adjustment, in the Western part of the
State whore they could Manufacture rail
road iron to the amount OF between 90 to | l0u
tons per week. Mr.. +. also referred to
one or two other establishments which
were manufacturing to like extent.
They had been told by the gentleman
from South Carolina Mr. Holmes, that
Pennsylvania at one time introduced large
quantities. OF imported railroad iron. Fol
zen years prior to 81, railroad iron had
been admitted free OF duty. Thcnno rail
road iron had been manufactured in the
Union--thcn no ctpital had been invested
IN this country in its manufacture But,
let him tell til gentlemen from Pcnnsyl-
'"H'"' ti"u C!iu' yhduii, Wl'n slS ulu
import that railroad iron free OF duty paid
twelve dollars moro per ton than she could
now Manufacture it for 1t had been f. ec
OF duty for ten years; foreigners then had
contro! Of the whole market domestic
competition there was nons. Then she
had paid sixty dollars per ton for RAILROAD
iron and he pledged himself here tha
her manufactures were ready to contrac
now, where contract could be made, a
forty-eight dollars per ton.
MIR. Home interposed and asked if he
understood the gentleman to say that tn,
L rail could not be obtained here in any
quantity?
: Mr. Foster replied in the affirmative.
Mr.. Holmes, Well, will take con
tract Of the gentleman. am authorized
TO do SO by the railroads.
Mr.. Holmes. The gentleman will fur
nish it at Sis per ton, free of duty!
Mr.. BuffInrton replied that contract