The Political Machine

Cities

City governments

Didn’t provide: jobs, financial aid, protection, sanitation etc.

Political Machine steps in

Provided services and business help in exchange for

votes and money

precinct captains

precinct workers

ward bosses

city boss

Political machine: organized group that

controlled things for a political party

Found in Baltimore, New York, San

Francisco, Boston

The City Boss

Sometimes the mayor, sometimes other

Controlled city jobs, business licenses, influenced the courts

Got votes and money for political party

Roscoe Conkling - boss of the New York Republican machine

Built sewers, parks, waterworks, schools, hospitals, orphanages

Corruption in the Machines

Fraud (deliberate deception) - sometimes cheated to win elections

Graft (using political influence for financial gain)

Bribes - businesses offered money to get city contracts

Kickbacks - officials hired companies and when city paid, company kicked-back some of the money to the official

Boss Tweed - William M. Tweed

City Boss of Tammany Hall, the powerful Democratic Political Machine in New York

Led ring of corrupt politicians who defrauded New York City 1869-1871

Thomas Nast, Cartoonist

1880 Presidential 1880 Presidential Election: RepublicansElection: Republicans

1880 Presidential 1880 Presidential Election: RepublicansElection: Republicans

Half BreedsHalf Breeds StalwartsStalwarts

Sen. James G. Blaine Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Maine) (New York)

James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur (VP)

compromise

Patronage - “Spoils System”

•Government jobs were the spoils

•The winning party in an election got to hand out these jobs to their supporters

•Providing a job to a possibly unqualified candidate as a reward or because of a personal connection is called “cronyism”

1881: Garfield Assassinated!1881: Garfield Assassinated!1881: Garfield Assassinated!1881: Garfield Assassinated!

Charles Guiteau:I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now!

Chester Arthur- A “dandy” President?

Pendleton Act (1883)Pendleton Act (1883)Pendleton Act (1883)Pendleton Act (1883)

Civil Service Act in response to patronage and “spoils system”

By 1900 1/2 of federal jobs required an exam to get a federal job