This wealth led to accusations of swindling and bribery, resulting in the railroad owners being called

Railroad, steel mill, oil and other industrial businessmen were called robber barons. The connotation was often used during the American Great Depression in the 1930's. It was alleged the owners such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon and John D. Rockefeller amassed their fortunes using unethical and exploitative practices to build their financial empires. This included not just unfair and harsh treatment of workers but also accusations of swindling and bribery of officials to accomplish monopolies, licensing, zoning, and other favorable treatment to build and expand the businesses.