 Tariffs had been raised to high levels during the Civil War . Afterwards , Garfield , who made a close study of financial affairs , advocated moving towards free trade , though the standard Republican position was a protective tariff that would allow American industries to grow . This break with his party likely cost him his place on the Ways and Means Committee in 1867 , and though Republicans held the majority in the House until 1875 , Garfield remained off that committee during that time . Garfield came to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee , but it was Ways and Means , with its influence over fiscal policy , that he really wanted to lead . Part of the reason Garfield was denied a place on Ways and Means was the opposition of the influential Republican editor , Horace Greeley . 
