Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1860-09-19
POLITICAL.
Henry ID. Fosters Tariff Record.
His Devotion to the Interests of
PENNSYLVANIA.

1914, 1ur Henry d. Foster at Pennsyt
rania. made the folto'oing remarks on the
Bill to repeal tie duties on Railroad Iron.
Vide Congressional Globe, Vol IA, 2d
Session, 2Sth Congress PIP. A. 40:
Mr. FOSTER, after adverting TO the une1-
pec;ed and basty manner in which the bill b ad
been brought forward, and remarking that
PENNSYLVANIA had been accustomed to coDsid-
er the tariff question as one to be treated on
general principles. proceeded to express his
regret, that his colleague Mr.. f. j Morris !
had alluded to the recent canvass In Penn
sylvania as he had done. As a member of
this House from Pennsy lvauia. as a native of
Pennsylvania, he felt proud of that great
State, and be would not allow himself. here
or elsewhere, as his colleague had done, to
charge the people of Pennsylvania with acting
under false or fraudulent motives on the sub
ject of the tariff. If the Whig party had
carried the State Mr. Z esteemed that party
so highly, that, before the National Legisla-
ture, 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
bad been carried on in bis (Mr. F's.) } county,
and to declare that the people had acted un-
der such Influences, he bad mistaken them
The tariff question was the one which, In the
late canvass in Pennsylvania, had deeply agi-
tated the public mind They had been told
by their Wing 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 to them that the profession
that the Whig party were the only friends to
the protection of the iron interests of Penn
sylvania was hollow and unsound; that at the
last session of Congress, in the Senate of the
United States, the first blow at the iron in
terest had sprung from member OF the Whig
party from Maine; aud although dIstin gush
ed Senator from Georgia had made pilgrim
age to Pennsylvania to tell the people of that
State that protection to that great interest
could only be looked for from the Whig party,
vet when they turned to the Journal of the
Senate, they found the vote of that Senator
recorded against the tariff of 1912. and his
vote recorded in favor of the bill of the gen.
tleman from Maine to reduce the duty on rail
road iron He had been mistaken when lie
told the people Of his State that for fair.
equitable, honorable adjustment of the tariff
system they must not rely on the Whig party
alone? What did we see now? The first move
ment at the present session of Congress at
tackipg the great interests of Pennsylvania.
did it come from the Democracy of the North,
the South, the East OF the West? No; but
from prominent Wing member of this House.
Now when his colleague undertook to say that
1T0. 900 of the people of Pennsylvania had
been deluded, he told him that he did not
kaow that people. If the gentleman confined
his remarks to the people of his own district,
it very probable that he might have some
- D.. IL
Pennsylvania had had all the lights of the
people of the whole Union, four-hors wa
gon would not hold all the documents thrown
INTO that one district by Wing writer's and
Wing orators.
But he was sorry, as he had observed, that
his colleague had dragged before this assembly
any question of this kind; aud he knew that
neither the gentleman nor any other man who
might have attempted it at the l.st election,
had been successful in misleading the people
upon the question of the tariff or any other
The question of protection of the iron interest
of Pennsylvania. was ore deeply felt by Penn
sYlvania. 1t might not perhaps be known to
this House. that, IL Pennsylvania alone. there
was one establishment in the western part of
the State, where they could manufacture rail-
road iron to the amount of between 80 to 100
tons per week. MS. Z. also referred to one
or two other establishments which were man
ufacturing to like extent.
They had been told by the gentleman from
South Carolina Mr.. Holmes that Pennsyl
vania at one time introduced large quantities
of imported railroad iron. For ten years pri-
or to 1S41. railroad iron had been admitted
free of duty. Then no railroad iron bad been
manufactured in the Union; then no capital
had been invested in this country in its man
ufacture But let him tell the gentleman
from South Carolina that Pennsylvania when
she did import that railroad iron free of duty,
paid twelve dollars more per ton that she
could now manufacture it for. 1t had been
free of duty for ten years; foreigners then had
control of the whole market domestic compe
tition there was none Then she had paid
sixty dollars per ton for railroad iron; and be
pledged himself here that her manufactures
were ready to contract now. where contracts
could be made, at forty-eight dollars per ton
Mr. HOLMES interposed. and asked 1T he
understood the gentleman to say that the L
railroad iron could now be obtained here IN
any quantity?
Mr. FosrER replied in the affirmative.
Mr.. Foster continued. The establishments
in PeDDsy lvania and in Maryland were al
ready prepared to make large contracts for
the furnishing of railroad iron But had not
the gentleman from South Carolina. who yes
terday had defended this bill with so much
warmth, told them that he was willing the
tariff should so be arranged as to yield suhi
cieut revenue for the government. and that
all he asked. and many other gentlemen who
agreed with him. was to bring the tariff to a
revenue standsrds Was be to understand the