On the Fact that (According to Historians, Tom DiLorenzo and Dee Brown) In 1862, Pennsylvania Congressman, Thaddeus Stevens (a Hero In Some Quarters for His Radical Abolitionist Stance), Not Only Had to Be Bribed for His Ultimate Vote On the Transcontinental Railroads, the Guy Was Also Able to Sneak In a Key Provision that All of the Iron Had to Come from American Iron Manufacturers (an Additional Burden On the Taxpayers, Obviously) - OF WHICH THE DUDE WAS ONE!!!

A lot of folks think that crony capitalism is a modern creation but with politicians such as Alexander Hamilton, Henry Clay, and Abraham Lincoln trying to recreate the British mercantile system here in America, there was certainly a lot of it in the 19th Century as well, with the self-serving antics of ole Mr. Stevens here providing a perfect example of it.