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Political Machines

Political Machines. Political Machines. Political machines were organized groups that controlled a political party of a city. Machines were controlled by a political boss who provided services and jobs to immigrants in return for votes.

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Political Machines

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  1. Political Machines

  2. Political Machines • Political machines were organized groups that controlled a political party of a city. • Machines were controlled by a political boss who provided services and jobs to immigrants in return for votes.

  3. Does a person right off the boat care who they vote for? Will they be loyal to the person that got them a job, place to live?

  4. Bosses controlled who got city jobs. Jobs were given out for a kickback, cash payment. Money collected was used for many things: schools, orphanages, food, or simply graft.

  5. Graft: theft. Graft is the illegal use of political influence for personal gain. Example: Boss gets a contractor a city job, contractor bills the city extra, gives the extra to the boss.

  6. Machines took bribes and cash payments for jobs.

  7. Boss Tweed • William “Boss” Tweed led the machine for the Democrats in New York from Tammany Hall.

  8. New York courthouse cost taxpayers $13 million, but really only cost $3 million. Where’d the $$ go?

  9. Tweed was indicted on 120 counts of fraud due to the work of political cartoonist Thomas Nast. Fraud now a big issue.

  10. Civil Service vs. Patronage • Civil Service jobs (Gov’t. jobs) should be given out to people that are qualified, not people that have powerful friends.

  11. Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883: Federal jobs will be given out on merit and qualifications.

  12. Since jobs could no longer be given in exchange for campaign contributions, where will politicians get money?

  13. Corporations traded donations for favors.

  14. Politicians accepted contributions in exchange for high tariffs.

  15. McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, highest tariffs ever!

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