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To: jjotto
Interesting way to look at it. The new Republican Party of Lincoln’s time was not conservative. One of its founders, Horace Greeley, published Karl Marx for years in his New York Tribune, the leading newspaper of its time (like the later NY Times was until recently).

Liberal big City Corporate Lawyer who was in the thrall of Plutocrat industrialists and who loved to tax, borrow and spend, and greatly expanded the power and scope of government?

Yeah, Lincoln was very much a Liberal for his era.

If you look at the dividing line as Urban versus Rural, or Hamiltonians versus Jeffersonians, it becomes clear which side is always liberal and which side is always conservative.

25 posted on 07/22/2018 8:30:55 PM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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To: DiogenesLamp; jmacusa; jjotto; rockrr; x
DiogenesLamp: "Liberal big City Corporate Lawyer who was in the thrall of Plutocrat industrialists and who loved to tax, borrow and spend, and greatly expanded the power and scope of government?
Yeah, Lincoln was very much a Liberal for his era."

But Lincoln was none of that:

  1. "Big City" -- Lincoln was born near Hodgenville, Kentucky, population in 1860 ~400.
    Lincoln lived 25 years in Springfield, Illinois, the state capital, population in 1860 ~9,000.

  2. "Corporate lawyer" -- first Prairie lawyer:
      "Lincoln returned to practicing law in Springfield, handling "every kind of business that could come before a prairie lawyer".[117]
      Twice a year for 16 years, 10 weeks at a time, he appeared in county seats in the midstate region when the county courts were in session.[118]
      Lincoln handled many transportation cases in the midst of the nation's western expansion, particularly the conflicts arising from the operation of river barges under the many new railroad bridges.
      As a riverboat man, Lincoln initially favored those interests, but ultimately represented whoever hired him.[119]
      In fact, he later represented a bridge company against a riverboat company in a landmark case involving a canal boat that sank after hitting a bridge"

    Later clients included railroads:
      "Lincoln appeared before the Illinois Supreme Court in 175 cases, in 51 as sole counsel, of which 31 were decided in his favor.[126]
      From 1853 to 1860, another of Lincoln's largest clients was the Illinois Central Railroad.[127]
      Lincoln's reputation with clients gave rise to his nickname 'Honest Abe.'[128] "

      "In all Lincoln and his partners handled over 5,000 cases."


  3. "in the thrall of Plutocrat industrialists" -- a lawyer sometimes representing Illinois Central, somehow makes him "in the thrall of Plutocrat industrialists"??

      "As a Whig activist, Lincoln was a spokesman for business interests, favoring high tariffs, banks, internal improvements, and railroads in opposition to the agrarian [Jacksonian] Democrats"

    The old Federalists became Whigs and then Republicans.
    Republicans were basically Whigs plus abolition.
    Historically, Whigs/Republicans wanted to make America great and put Americans first, so favored tariffs to support industrialization.
    Elite Southern Jacksonian Democrats cared nothing about industrialization and wanted cheaper imports of luxury goods from Europe.

  4. "...and greatly expanded the power and scope of government?" -- Only in response to the war waged by Southern Democrats against the United States.
    Excluding debt payments, Federal government spent 2.6% of US GDP in 1858, which rose to 13% in 1865 then fell back to 2.5% in 1871.
The "Progressive era" explosion in Federal government non-defense spending did not really get underway until FDR's New Deal, a program fully supported by Southern Democrats of the time.

27 posted on 07/23/2018 6:18:31 AM PDT by BroJoeK ((a little historical perspective...))
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