Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-10-14
Garfield and the Tariff.
HIS RECORD IN CONGRESS ON THE
SUBJECT OF FREE TRADE AID
PROTECTION.
From the Harrisburg Patriot.

| From the Harrisburg Patriot.
The Republican politicians have
been most unfortunate in their selec-
ton of issues for the presidential can
vass. In the first instance they un-
dertook to make their campaign on a
revival of the sectional question with
the bloody shirt as their battle-flag.
The defeat in Maine sent them to the
right-about aud they have chosen to
fight with another battle-cry, the an
cient slogan of the wings, Il tariff for
protection" But their inconsistency
and insincerity in this attempt TO re-
vive all old issue are so evident that it
is plain they have blundered again.
They cannot ask nor expect the conf
dence of the people in their pretense
of favoring a tariff for protection with
a candidate for president whose whole
record is but testimony of his de-
votion to free trade principles. We
reprint below the record of General
Garfield in congress on the tariff ques-
ton and challenge the Republican
papers to deny its correctness
TEA AND COFFEE.
On the 9TH of July, 1866, General
Garfield delivered a speech in the
house of representatives at Washing
/ ton, in committee of the whole, in
which he endorsed the tariff system of
Great Britain as follows:
! "Mr. Garfield desire to call the at
/ tention of the committee to two or
/ three points which have a bearing on
| this subject and to give the reason why
| hope we will not reduce the duty eth.
/ er on tea or coffee. In the first place
| it is the genius Of our whole system,
and the experience OF the government
has approved it, that the best way OF
raising revenue is 10 impose duties on
| the fewest possible articles. Twenty.
/ FIVE years ago in England there were
more than 400 different articles on
which duty was imposed and now they
have been so reduced that upon FIVE
articles more than half the revenue Of
| the country is collected. In England
| in 1862 $3j4, 100000 Of revenue were
raised, and of that sum $lS9,O0O,OOO
were derived from five articles. namely
iermented, malt and spurious liquors,
and tea, coffee aud tobacco and sugar
IN their various forms.
IL say that these FIVE articles afforded
the government of Great Britain $ls9.
OO0OO of its revenue, the total of
which was $35i,OO0 600. Thus almost
two thirds OF the revenues were raised
from five articles, and two of the five
To-.
lions five hundred thousand dollars
were raised in Great Britain in the year
1868 on tea alone, and the consumption
Of that article is steadily increasing in
that country. 1t is now two and seven.
tenths pounds par capita of the popula.
ton, whereas in this country the con.
sumption, though increasing. has reach.
ed only one pound per capita. say
then that we have no article which the
experience Of all financial nations shows
can better bear the duty without re.
ducing the consumption than tea.
Furthermore, this is one OF the few
articles on which we can levy duty
without duplication OF taxation and
without directly involving other inter.
ests. 1t is a simple and plain question
of revenue. There is no other article
into which it enters as an element" -
Congressional Globe, Part ", Isl session
39h Congress, PIP. 36j7.365s.
The idea of those who favor pro.
tective tariff is to levy duties on such
products of foreign countries rs are
also produced in this country rather
than on products like tea and coffee
which have no place in American in
dustry. The British system is exactly
the opposite and for that system Gen.
Garfield contended in the speech from
which the foregoing quotation has
been made.
In 1869 General Garfield was elect
cd an honorary member of the Golden
Club of England, an association or.
ganized for the purpose of disseminat-
ing free trade doctrines throughout
the world.
On February 10, 1872, the propo-
sition to place tea and coffee on the
free list was again made in Congress.
The protectionists favored the propo-
sition because tea and coffee are not
produced in this country and because
they desired to raise revenues from
articles in the production of which
our people compete with those of for
eign countries. Therefore all the
members of congress from Pennsylva-
MIA, including Hon. w. ID. Kelley,
voted for the repeal of the duties on
tea and coffee General Garfield voted
against the repeal.-.See Congressional
Globe, I'd session, AID Congress, part
H. p. 111S.
FOREIGN COAL.
On the 18th of March, 1871, the
following joint resolution was passed
by the House of Representatives:
"Be il enacted, etc.. That from and after
the passage of this joint resolution no
t.x ar dufv shall ha lavied os ooIiaatnd