April 1857

Harper's Magazine archives (subscription required) ^ | April 1857

[BroJoeK]

"...end up in Hannibal, MO, and then hike to my grandparents’ house..."

About 25 miles north & across the river from Tom Sawyer is Quincy, Ill. where some of my ancestors would soon arrive, just off the boat from their Old Country.
The family left to dodge the draft of their two young sons into one of Europe's endless wars.
Surely in America, they thought, they could settle down to farming and not have to worry about military service.
After all, who were Americans going to fight, Canada?

By the way, even as we speak the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad is planning to build a new bridge over the Mississippi at Quincy to connect into the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad (H&StJ) in Missouri.
And they're going to hire the best railroad lawyer in the country to make certain steamboats don't delay them in courts.
You may have heard of him, but now I can't quite remember his name... was it Lingcoon? Linkstein? Linfellow?
Help me out here...

Anyway I'm sure, given our booming economy, that bridge will be finished in just a few years.
So now would be a great time to invest in those railroads...

;-)

Early locomotive of Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad:

[Tax-chick]

The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge at Hannibal. It opened in 2000. There's a tiny plaque on it in memory of my cousin Tim, a civil engineer with the highway department, who died in a tractor accident just as the construction was completed.

[BroJoeK]

"The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge at Hannibal."

Linbaw! That's the railroad lawyer's name, I'm pretty sure of it. Really good talker.
Did some work near Cape Girardeau, iirc.

;-)

[BroJoeK]

Tax-chick: " It opened in 2000.
There's a tiny plaque on it in memory of my cousin Tim, a civil engineer with the highway department, who died in a tractor accident just as the construction was completed."

Sorry, I misread your post, still thinking in 1857.
Sad to learn of your cousin, may he rest in peace and with God.

[Tax-chick]

LOL - Linbaw ;-).

My cousin drove his tractor too near a slope. He knew better. I warn my children against overconfidence.

[Jim W N]

Sounds very Fish-y to me...

[Jim W N]

the most amazing economic growth anyone can imagine...As of 1857 immigration is souring, exports exploding, the economy is booming and banks are loaning money hand-over-fist to build more infrastructure.

Generally, all done, not by some grand plan of government, but by free individuals and companies engaged in the voluntary cooperation between buyers and sellers seeking their own best interests in the market economy free of federal government interference. The results: amazing economic growth. It's what the market economy does if government is not in the way.

During this period, the feds were small, in the deep background of daily life, and hovered around 5% or so of the GDP. America in the 1800's, the Civil War excepted, is one of the few periods in the whole recorded history of man, of true political & economic freedom of individuals from government interference. The results were astonishing.

[BroJoeK]

"During this period, the feds were small, in the deep background of daily life, and hovered around 5% or so of the GDP."

Amazingly, Federal spending was even less than 5% of GDP.

1. 2% in 1792 under President Washington through Jefferson
2. 4% peak for War of 1812 under Madison
3. 2% from Monroe through Buchanan
4. 13% at peak of Civil War
5. 2% again by 1880s under Garfield/Arthur until
6. 4% for Spanish American War 1899
7. 2% again by 1903 until
8. 24% at peak of First World War

After WWI Federal spending remained around 4% until the Great Depression and New Deal, reaching nearly 50% in the Second World War, after which it never again returned to the old "normal".

Since WWII Federal spending has run over 20% of GDP.
In the 1950s over half was for national defense, today defense is barely 1/7 of the federal budget.
Statistics suggest the government overhead burden has been a serious drag on economic growth.

[Jim W N]

Great stats. Thanks.

Freedom defined as the absence of government coercion, a free America has always been a great America.

[colorado tanker]

There was a pretty decent series a few years ago called America: The Story of Us. One of the things I really enjoyed was a special effect like you were flying West at 40,000 feet watching county after county and state after state infill. It brought home the enormity of the population movement involved to settle this country.

[Tax-chick]

It’s a really big country, especially when you get across the Mississippi, as Anoreth discovered when she drove from Seattle to Charlotte and back again.

[Jim W N]

Your description reminds me of the surround-360-degree video at Disneyland called “America the Beautiful”. The video showed the country from a low flight over America from sea to sea. It was pretty neat.

[colorado tanker]

I’m old enough to remember going to that exhibit. It was pretty cool.

[Tax-chick]

That may be where I learned that this sort of video makes me nauseous.

[Jim W N]

Did you see it at Disneyland? It did make you feel like you were flying around in the plane. But I loved it.

[Tax-chick]

Yes, we lived in Southern California in the 70s and went to Disneyland a few times. We were regulars at Sea World, though.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Continued from April 20 (reply #76).

April 25, SATURDAY. . . . Interesting Columbia College meeting at the Synod rooms of the Reformed Dutch Church, corner of Fourth Street and Lafayette Place, last Wednesday lasting from two to past six P.M. Discussion on McVickar’s case resulted in the “informal understanding” that certain of his friends would call on him with a view to some communication from him; a resignation or a proposal that his present duties be changed. Then a motion for reconsideration in poor Hackley’s case was carried; and a long and earnest discussion on Fish’s resolution, Fish, Allen and S.B. Ruggles severally vigorous in its support – ditto Spring. Anderson was jesuitical and Bradford rhetorical against it. Laid on the table at last by nine to eight But the end is not yet.

The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas

[colorado tanker]

This guy really put in the time for his civic activism. Lots more than just talking. A little bird told me that in a few short years he may be putting even more time in civic pursuits.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

[Continued from April 25 (reply #97).]

April 28. Tuesday night, say rather Wednesday morning. Very busy day in Wall Street. Left a great mass of manuscript matter, finished last night, with Haight for examination. Meeting of legislation committee of Trinity Church vestry from three to five. . . .

We had a long and interesting meeting of the Columbia College Board Monday afternoon; did not adjourn till near six P.M. McVickar sent in a communication asking for leave to withdraw from active duty in connection with the college and was shelved with a professorship of “the Evidences of Religion” and a salary of $2,000. Some further discussion on poor Hackley’s case resulting in nothing, and then we went into committee of the whole and worked at details of a statute on the course.

The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas

[Tax-chick]

We had a long and interesting meeting of the Columbia College Board Monday ...

I think I detect a tiny bit of irony here.