I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to
tremble for the safety of my country. 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... until all
wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at
this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in
the midst of war.
President Abraham Lincoln, 1846