The series is a caustic exposé of the corruption of the United States Senate, particularly the corporate magnate-turned-Senator Nelson Aldrich[1] from Rhode Island.
During the composition of the articles, Phillips received help from newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst, who then desired to publish sensationalist stories to attract more readership of his publications.
The expansion of the railroad industry combined with increased production of steel, iron, and oil contributed to a group of immensely wealthy businessmen that came to be known by the term tycoon.
Soon after, the young politician encountered corruption when he reported the New York City population as much smaller than it actually was so that representation of the rival Democratic Party could be decreased.
Later on, Depew's job morphed into a lobbyist position, which included bribing various politicians in order to put through legislation that would benefit the Vanderbilts.
The Senator used his relationship with the Rockefellers to rule as an unofficial boss of a political machine because he had the ability to influence who received campaign contributions from the powerful family.
He was elected to the Senate in 1881 despite scandal and, from there, Gorman and Aldrich were able to merge the two powerful political machines of the time and influence more politicians and bills to produce whatever the wealthy interests desired.
A major area of focus in the article was on Spooner's influence over bills that allowed railroad companies to keep land that had been granted to them to build tracks after they had passed the specified time that the Senate had laid out where they must have begun construction.
or the land would be returned to the states for citizens to settle on Phillips also discussed Spooner's connection with Aldrich and Gorman and their merger of their political machines.