"Republicans are traditionally believed to be conservative financially..."
I gave that up when Reagan preached the virtues of small government and doubled the national debt.
Prior to the Civil War tariffs were the sole means of funding government. Only thereafter did income taxes become the primary parastitic sustenance of government. The debates of the Grant, Garfield, and Arthur administrations reveal that the concerns of the day revolved around protected industries and the impact on them of reducing tariffs.
Tariffs are parasitic on society no less than are income taxes, but are far more easily avoided by selective consumption, which is probably why we suffer direct personal taxation on our incomes today, that are far more difficult to avoid.
Thanks!