Political Machines ● Political Machines: a corrupt government in a city. Political Machines controlled city

governments and were headed by a political boss who would allowed illegal activities, robberies, briberies and corruption to happen.

Lincoln Steffens was famous for his investigations of urban (city) politics. In 1904 he collected his writings on St. Louis, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York into his book; The

Shame of the Cities.

Primary source #1—From The Shame of the Cities by Lincoln Steffens

“Tammany (Tammany Hall was the name given to the Democratic political machine or organization that dominated New York City politics) is bad government: not inefficient, but dishonest…Tammany is Tammany, the embodiment of corruption… [it] used to stuff the ballot boxes and intimidate voters” (page 289)

Lincoln Steffens. The Shame of the Cities. (New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1904)

Primary source #2—From “The Shame of Minneapolis” by Lincoln Steffens

“The boss (the powerful politicians that have great controlling influence on voters) has normal control of more than half the voters… The people who were left to govern the city hated above all things strict laws. They were the loafers (lazy people), saloon (bar) keepers, gamblers, criminals, and the thriftless (worthless) poor of all nationalities.” … “if a man was a hard drinker, [the Mayor of Minneapolis] cheered him with another drink; if he had stolen something, [the mayor] helped to get him off. He was naturally vain (useless)… [the Mayor was] head of a system of robbery, black mail, and plunder (steal) conducted by professional criminals under police direction … Burglaries (robberies) were common. How many the police planned may never be known.”

McClure’s Magazine. Volume XX- November1902 to April 1903. (New York: The S. S. McClure’s Co., 1903)

Primary source #3—Political Cartoons by Thomas Nast

The caption: Boss Tweed. “As long as I count the votes, What are you going to do about it? Say?” (1871)

Reform

Can the Law Reach Him? - The Dwarf and the Giant Thief. By Thomas Nast. Wood engraving, 1872.

Political machines would grant jobs to people that did them favors. Sometimes the favor was voting and help in getting others to vote. Political machines also often accepted payments from criminals in exchange for protection from police. In New York City, for example, protection money paid by gambling and prostitution offered the famous political machine led by Boss Tweed a steady source of income during the mid-19th century. On election day, thugs and hoodlums returned the favors of Tweed by stuffing ballot boxes with votes for Tweed and intimidating voters.Political machines began to decline in importance after 1900. The federal government began to go after corruption in the cities. Progressive Era reformers at the turn of the century successfully compelled local governments to introduce civil service systems to replace party patronage in government employment.

To prevent political corruption the 17th amendment was added to the Constitution. The 17th amendment allows citizens to elect their senators directly instead of having a corrupt politician select a friend for the position. Below are a list of other reforms enacted to combat political corruption in cities;

Lincoln SteffensAMERICAN MUCKRAKER

Lincoln Steffens was a reporter the New York Evening Post, where he learned a number of different skills including how to investigate and create newsworthy articles on local politics, economic conditions, and culture. He became the newspaper's first police reporter. He was assigned to cover Rev. Pankhurst’s display of police corruption. Steffens fine-tuned his skills as an investigative reporter and as a student of corruption, reform, and urban politics.

Steffens wrote a variety of articles including fiction. His stories about ghetto life in New York City appeared in Chap-Book and the Evening Post in 1896. His "Roosevelt Stories," were also published. They were articles that brought Theodore Roosevelt's exploits and qualities to life.

In 1902 Steffens became part of a movement that was attempting to make sense of the social and economic changes associated with industrialization, urbanization, and immigration. Steffens quickly earned the title of "muckraker". He liked the relationship between corruption and government. Steffens concentrated on urban government. Steffens concentrated on urban government. He traveled between cities talking to politicians, reformers, and editors. His articles focused on the battle between corruption and reforms were explored in Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. In 1904 these articles came to life as “The Shame of the Cities”. Steffens revealed the universal nature of corruption and the equally widespread insensitivity on the public. By 1905 Steffens shifted his attention to the battle for good government in state capitals. By 1909 the muckraking phase of Steffens's career drew to a close.