The reason they were so scathing toward Tesla was not because they thought he was mad, it was because he envisaged free electricity for all.
Um actually no, the scientific community was pretty much driven by what Edison said; he was the one who didn't like Tesla Ideas, and it was more or less his one man siege that keep many things from happening early.

For instance, when Edison found out about the power station that westinghouse was building (Niagra Falls), he was ferious and had children pick up cats and dogs off the street and then electrocuted them with his new invention, the electric chair. He took some of the ideas and used them to make a chair capable of killing a man, and then demostrated on the stray animals the kids found, and he held a press conference to show it off. It was to be a "more human way of killing people" but he called 'being westinghoused'.

Edison was the one who really did 'invent one thing besides a light bulb', he invented the research center, where people with money could buy other peoples ideas. If you patent was worth it, you could sell it for a nice profit. Problem is todays Patent Process is fallen off the track with a broken wheel. It can't handle the amount and types of patent applications. It is all still done by hand and a technician.

As for the electrolisys part, the idea was not being cheaper than but being the only source capable of running a machine independantly. The big thing is you have to away with mechanical gears which eat power, and use Direct Drive Electric motors to power the Pnumatic Pumps. If you have no gas, then you can't run the machine no matter how much power it would give you. Nuclear has its draw backs but it really good for large scale, plant type generation. Thier is no reason that you can't power an electrical generator with a steam turbine for mass scale production.

Mac the reason the Bad Guys always wear black, is the same reason that SS agents around the president stick out like a soar thumbs. They want you to notice them. They are making a statement, I am hear and you can't do anything about it, and don't want to. Espeically when they can whip out a fully auto machine pistol that would cut a brick wall in half. The suit will hide the actual weapon your carring. Watch the attempted assissination of Reagon on the tape when hinckle went to shot him; there were three agents with auto weapons in something like the blick of an eye, and you barely saw them move.

So the Omni-present them is always connected to the highest office. Which means your in line to be 'crapped on'. Its all in the symbolisim.