POLITICAL PROBLEMS WITH URBANIZATION

The Political Machine

The Political Machine Urban problems such as crime and poor

sanitation led people to give control of local governments to political machines

Political Machines An organization of professional politicians They made cities run better, but were

involved in a lot of corrupt activities Offered services to voters and businesses in

exchange for political support and $$

The Political Machine: Local Corruption

Political Machine Set-Up

Local Workers / Captains

Political Boss

Ward

The leader who controlled access to municipal jobs and business licenses and influenced the courts and other agencies

Worked to secure votes in all the precincts in the district-reported to the political bossTried to gain

voters’ support on a city block or in a neighborhood-reported to the ward boss

The Political Machine: Local Corruption

Most famous political machine = Tammany Hall

Most famous “machine boss” = William Marcy Tweed (Boss Tweed)

Led Tammany Hall in New York City and made himself and his friends very rich.

Eight years later his corruption was made public, when he was sent to prison for fraud.

Political cartoonist Thomas Nast ridiculed Boss Tweed and his machine in the pages of Harper’s Weekly. Nast’s work threatened Tweed, who reportedly said, “I don’t care so much what the papers write about me—my constituents can’t read; but . . . they can see pictures!”

Analyzing Political Cartoons1. Under the Tammany tiger’s victim is a torn paper that reads “LAW.” What is its significance?2. Boss Tweed and his cronies, portrayed as noblemen, watch from the stands on the left. The cartoon’s caption reads “What are you going to do about it?” What effect do you think Nast wanted to have on his audience?

“The Tammany Tiger Loose”

National Political Corruption

Since the beginning of the 19th century, presidents had complained about the problem of patronage The giving of government jobs to people who had helped

a candidate get elected Some candidates were not qualified for the positions they

were given Reformers began to press for the elimination of

patronage and the adoption of a merit system Jobs in Civil Service (government administration) should

go to the most qualified persons Attempts at reform

In 1880 the party chose a reformer, James A. Garfield, who was assassinated shortly after his inauguration His successor, Chester A. Arthur, supported reforms,

and helped pass the Pendleton Civil Service Act Required that promotions be based on merit, not politics.