ill be, as the majority of Western
Virginia now is, in favor of the American system. North Carolina will
follow later, but not less certainly. Eastern Tennessee is now in favor
of the system. And, finally, its doctrines will pervade the whole Union,
and the wonder will be, that they ever should have been opposed.

FRANK H. HURD,

OF OHIO. (BORN 1841, DIED 1896.)

A TARIFF FOR REVENUE ONLY;

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, FEBRUARY 18, 1881.

MR. CHAIRMAN:

At the very threshold it is proper to define the terms I shall use and
state the exact propositions I purpose to maintain. A tariff is a tax
upon imported goods. Like other taxes which are levied, it should
be imposed only to raise revenue for the government. It is true that
incidental protection to some industries will occur when the duty is
placed upon articles which may enter into competition with those
of domestic manufacture. I do not propose to discuss now how this
incidental protection shall be distributed. This will be a subsequent
consideration when the preliminary question has been settled as to what
shall be the nature of the tariff itself. The present tariff imposes
duties upon nearly four thousand articles, and was levied and is
defended upon the ground that American industries should be protected.
Thus protection has been made the object; revenue the incident. Indeed,
in many cases the duty is so high that no revenue whatever is raised
for the government, and in nearly all so high that much less revenue is
collected than might be realized. So true is this that, if the present
tariff were changed so as to make it thereby a revenue tariff, one fifth
at least could be added to the receipts of the Treasury from imports.
Whenever I use the phrase free trade or free trader, I mean either a
tariff for revenue only or one who advocates it.

So far as a tariff for revenue is concerned, I do not oppose it, even
though it may contain some objectionable incidental protection. The
necessities of the government require large revenues, and it is not
proposed to interfere with a tariff so long as it is levied to produce
them; but, to a tariff levied for protection in itself and for its own
sake, I do object. I therefore oppose the present tariff, and the whole
doctrine by which it is attempted to be justified. I make war against
all its protective features, and insist that the laws which contain them
shall be amended, so that out of the importations upon which