The nomination and election of a republican president . . .

 . . . will do more for the restoration of confidence in a financial point of view and revival of business and trade than any thing else can do. When the rulers of the nation lose their integrity; when they descend to low party intrigue; when a corrupt administration makes use of the public funds to procure the enactment of measures repugnant to the wishes of the people, then it is that business confidence sympathies with that in the government, and distrust and stagnation take the place of hopeful enterprise. Under such circumstances, almost any undertaking is hazardous, property becomes unsafe, its value is fluctuating and unreliable, and the baleful influences of the government are felt in every department of individual economy. Change the government, let only its legitimate functions be performed and confidence is at once restored and business undergoes an instant revival. What business man, tradesman, farmer or mechanic does not desire a radical change in the administration of the general government.

SOURCE: “The nomination and election of a republican president,” Janesville Weekly Gazette, Janesville, Wisconsin, Wednesday, May 16, 1860, p. 2, col. 1.

In The Review Queue: Lincolnomics

Lincolnomics: How President Lincoln

Constructed the Great American Economy

by John F. Wasic

Lincolnomics puts The Great Emancipator in his other rightful place as The Great Builder of American infrastructure, revealing Lincoln’s untold legacy as the developer of an economic ladder to democracy through national transportation, public education, and market access.

The only biography of its kind, Lincolnomics freshly explores the foundational ideas and policies on infrastructure rooted in society and government by America’s sixteenth president.

Lincoln’s view of the right to fulfill one’s economic destiny was at the core of his governing philosophy―but he knew no one could climb that ladder without strong federal support. Some of his most enduring policies came to him before the Civil War, visions of a country linked by railroads running ocean to ocean, canals turning small towns into bustling cities, public works bridging farmers to market.

Author John F. Wasik tracks Lincoln from his time in the 1830s as a young Illinois state legislator pushing for internal improvements; through his work as a lawyer representing the Illinois Central Railroad in the 1840s; to his presidential fight for the Transcontinental Railroad; and his support of land-grant colleges that educated a nation. To Lincoln, infrastructure meant not only the roads, bridges, and canals he shepherded as a lawyer and a public servant, but also much more.

These brick-and-mortar developments were essential to how the nation could lift citizens above poverty and its isolating origins. Lincolnomics revives the disremembered history of how Lincoln paved the way for Eisenhower’s interstate highways and FDR’s social amenities. With an afterword addressing the failure of American infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how Lincoln’s policies provide a guide to the future, Lincolnomics makes the case for the man nicknamed “The Rail Splitter” as the Presidency's greatest builder.

About the Author

John F. Wasik is the author of nineteen books, including Lightning Strikes: Timeless Lessons in Creativity from the Life and Work of Nikola Tesla. His columns, blogs, and articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reuters, Forbes, and Bloomberg News. In 2018, Wasik was named an Illinois Road Scholar for the Illinois Humanities Council. His speaking engagements on technology, history, investing, and innovation reach global audiences. He lives in Grayslake, IL.

ISBN 978-1635766936, Diversion Books, © 2021, Hardcover, 320 pages, Photographs & Illustrations, End Notes & Index. $31.99.  To purchase click HERE.