James Madison's concern in 1791 that, "The stock-jobbers will become the pretorian band of the Government, at once its tool & its tyrant; bribed by its largesses, & overawing it by clamours & combinations" sounds very similar to contemporary concerns regarding special interests and their role in government policy making.
Chiefly British. Stock-exchange operators who deal only with brokers. Stockbrokers, especially unscrupulous ones.
Venal; corruptible: "A large praetorian bureaucracy, filled with ambitious, possessive... and often sycophantic people, makes work and makes trouble." -Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Money or gifts bestowed, especially in a lofty or condescending manner.
To control or subdue by inspiring awe. To awe exceedingly; to subjugate or restrain by awe or great fear. "The king was present in person to overlook the magistrates, and overawe these subjects with the terror of his sword."-Spenser.
Chiefly British. Variant of clamor. Influence or force by clamoring. To exclaim insistently and noisily. To make insistent demands.