The real difficulty is with the vast wealth and power in the hands of the few and the unscrupulous who represent or control capital . Hundreds of laws of Congress and the state legislatures are in the interest of these men and against the interests of workingmen . These need to be exposed and repealed . All laws on corporations , on taxation , on trusts , wills , descent , and the like , need examination and extensive change . This is a government of the people , by the people , and for the people no longer . It is a government of corporations , by corporations , and for corporations . How is this ? Larger quote from wikiquote , which says it ' s from his diary in 1888 . Search for the word corporation <| sep |> And then we kill them in their sleep ? Or is that later ? Just trying to get my steps straight here .