BLOOMINGTON — In a roundabout way, Central Illinois saved the United States.

That’s among the conclusions Bloomington attorney Guy Fraker reached in researching his book, “Lincoln’s Ladder to the Presidency,” about Abraham Lincoln’s years as a circuit-riding lawyer in Central Illinois.

The book goes on sale next month.

“If Lincoln had not come from Central Illinois and the circuit, he would not have been nominated (for president). … I really believe Central Illinois made Abraham Lincoln president and I believe Abraham Lincoln is the only man who could have saved the country,” Fraker said....