, 1880-03-26
oARF1EID's SUDDEN CONVERSION.

Gcl. Garfield In HOW atl ultra 1'rotcCttOnfst,
but lIe was not always 10. Up 10 tho time of
the Into Senatorial election III Ol,Io lie was
known rs q reyel1lte rGformcr. Ills owl,
spCcc]ses III Congress 1ettno Ills position on
this subject very clearly. On thu 1st of April,
1870, le delivered u set speech on tho tariff
question in which these sentiments wcro en-
pressed:
4 lnrge majority Of tho great thinkers Of tho
present 't ny aro ladtng Iii tho direction of whit
The Tendency Vi mMler, thought is towarsl
IN 80 fur tls tho doctrine Of FREQ trnttc Is pro-
as hos nas' it Gq i G tse 9a @
rcjcgt tho i,NrrUw viuw which considers in-
u!!atry nily ntiu particular fern Of lttor. Oh.
tho enntry tls th!y were trentc.l IN tho lastccn-
Fur, when ,so bud ono schedule for "agrlcuit-
n1 @ 1,at nngt9r II IL fGT r. "istr . :, what
did In 1A 1s7, anl 1878 Tor tho Internal revenue
laws. when w1 removed tlIxes FROM tho sepnra,to
Processes &c. s nni Imposed thum 1natuly on COM
Duties should he so high TINT our manufact-
Mrcs cAn fairiy compete with tho foreign pro'-
t!nie, a11d -rcgslate tho price US they plcasc.
This Is my doctrine Of protection.
1[arcll 10. 1871. Mr.. Garfield urged tho re-.
peal Of the absurd duty OIL coal. May 3, 1872,
l1e demanded tho abolition Of tho injurious
tax OH salt. May 10, 1872. llc remnrkcl OH
proposition to materially reduce the duty on
books anil printed paper:
do l1nplorc this Comnltteo [of tho Wholol to
ptGr :" % io Us rss to 4 reS 81 Rs m i
when sny nll, 1nctn tho writer IT books. the
printer nt books, And tho renders Of books. I re-
Bnnekles IN what 1uaht to be iil tho larKer ylpW
u thq subject us FREQ US tho nEr wo hrt,ntho* l
w9a axS ce0S tug % 1le thn md tho
III acRrly FREQ rs possible.
In 1873 Nr. Garfield made two moro fnll
speeches Oh tho tariff question, repeating Ills
fortner opinions. Lie desired then. rs le.
fore, to bo known rs a moderate Trotcctton-
ist, or roycnuo reformcr, opposed to every
form Of tariH prohibitions; and was so
recognized up to the time Of the Senatorial
election In Ohio lust winter.
Tic exact date Of Gartlcld's conversion to
prohibltory taxes was Dec. Is, 1870. On that
tlay lie wroto I; lettor ITO Senator Beer, Of
Ashland, one of his supporters III tic Ohio
Legislature, representing himself rs deeply
pancd ut the reports that l,ad gono abroad
abont Ills sotntlness on the prohibitory
tariff issue. ue admitted that he WIS n 1llel,l-
her OF the Cobsen Club, and that this Club
believed IN FREQ tratlo; but aycrrcd that lle
had joined 1t innoccMtly aid fgnornntly, aud
was sorry for It! This matter, he added, had
been repeatedly explained to tho iro,l-
nlongcrs In the southern cnd OF his district,
and they Ind agreed to overlook 1t md sup
port hlnt. liz begged Senator Beer to cor
rect "tl,o erroneous inlprrssion." Senator
Beer apparently did so, md Garfield was
chosen Senator practically without opposi-
tton by the Republican Caucus.
Slnco tltis election Mr.. Garfield has been
numbered among tho extreme Prohibitions
lists In Congress, attd has voted to stttle dis
cussion ind postpone action OIL every propo-
sltIon to a1nel|orate tho oppressive features
of the tarllf TINT has como before tho COM
mittec OIL Why's anl Means.
Garfield. who oncc mads m ablo speech in
favor Of FREQ snt, and against tariff-prolllbl-
tlons. now combines with tho salt and pulp
lnoiopOllsts, antl other Observation-Disclosures,
to smother atl measures for reform Of the
revenue system. 1to who onco pleaded so
clonMently for FREQ books IL now tlle chief
enemy OF tree pnrcr,-the raw material of
b0ok-lnaking. lie docs this, moreover, at q
tl.nowl,en our bonds, bearing only4 per cent
Interest, command premium mud va have n
largo surplus reyenle; whereas ]o was
most positive us n rcf0rnlor iii 1sUo, when tho
country was staggering under tho burden OF
mn enormous debt, md tllpr-ccnt bonds could
not bo sold ut par. II Mr. Garfield Gun make
his record appear consistent and reasonable
to lllulsolt anil to tl,a country, ,llo wilt bo Il
fortunate man. At my rate, he lsas, his
Scnatorsl!p. Wo only Aopa 1lo will be satIs-
tiet always TINT le has not paid for 1t too
high n price.