The first plutocratic threat was over a hundred years ago. Milford W. Howard wrote of their rise, "As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people, until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed...

... The money power now came upon the scene and peeped cautiously around at first, but seeing that the people no longer were zealously guarding their liberties, seeing that craft politicians were steering the ship of state, and that the people were blindly following their leaders, who continually fanned the flames of sectional bitterness, it became bold and threw off its timid, fawning air, and assumed a most insolent swagger. It began to stretch out its long arms in all direction as and grasp with its greedy fingers the products of the people's toil; yet the people, blindly deluded, heeded not, but wen on shutting their eyes and closing their ears to the perils which surrounded them. So it became an easy matter for plutocracy to strengthen its foothold, and soon it began to fasten the shackles of slavery upon the people, and all the while they kept on chattering of the past, forgetful of the duties and dangers that surrounded them, and blind to the future.