1. CHAPTER 3
Party Machines and the Immigrants

2. Any Political Organization,
generally:

Reflects the society out of which it develops

Insofar as participant actions imply willingness
to abide by the terms of authoritative
decisions, they give tacit approval to, and
thereby help to sustain, the system.

3. In other words…

The rise of the machine (and its boss) was a
part of the political response to new modes of
life and the political problems entailed by
socioeconomic changes post Civil War.

4. David Easton’s Model of Political
Systems

5. Changes to Political Systems

Usually incremental modifications

Sometimes “punctuations”

6. “The age of the bosses”

Machines are a distinctly North American political
institution

Peak period: late nineteenth and mid-twentieth
century


“by 1890 virtually every sizable city had a political
boss or was in the process of developing one”
70 years of city-wide machines

7. Annual Prevalence of Machine
Politics in Large American Cities by
Type, 1870-1945 (N=30)

8. Research on Incidence






30 cities
Half the cities had organized machine activity
between 1865-1875
Four joined between 1876-1885
Another four joined between 1886-1895
Seven had no machine activity
Machine movement diffusion stopped 1892

9. Characteristics

Most of the oldest machines were factional
 Ward
v. ward rather than citywide
 Citywide emerged in 1880s and after




Reflected settlement/ethnic group patterns
Usually one boss – typically the mayor
Aldermen of wards – 30-40 precincts
Precinct captains of smaller areas – 400-600
pop

10. Characteristics, continued

Clientelism – patron-client relationship
 Market-like
exchanges softened by warmer
relations of trust, loyalty, solidarity
 Hierarchical
 No
in nature
real concern for immigrant groups’ collective
long-term needs

11. Patron and Broker
Contracts
Relief from legal limitations
Franchises
Limited regulation
Occasional labor control

12. Where was the state?


Kept in check by Boss’ ability to deliver a bloc of
votes
Machines were taking care of a problem

No conceivable alternatives

Given the personal benefits, not an excessive
arrangement

Also, rural domination in legislatures

13. The Local Utility of the Machine

City governments were fragmented and
functioned poorly

Business elites busy making money

Machines filled the void of governance

14. Sources of power






Rapid urbanization = Period of “Improvements”
Contracts – rewards and kick-backs
Licenses to operate
Franchises – RR and Utility
Jobs
Protection from police

15. Returns


Loyal voters – for self or selected leader
Personal wealth – kicks and bribes
Social Returns
 Social stability among transitioning groups
 Assimilation of immigrant groups
 Defense of immigrant culture against the
mainstream

16. Reform Attempts…

Next Chapter

17. Boss Crump – Memphis, TN




Mayor of Memphis
for three two-year
terms, beginning in
1909
Ran as a “reform
candidate”
Stayed on as “boss”
until his death in
1954
Had to keep
support of over 600
saloon keepers and

18. New York’s Boss Wm. M.
Tweed

19. Crump, continued





State was Democrat – no Republican could win
Came down to tight margins between Dems
Crump controlled more than 25% of state votes
Dominated over 60 city and state elections,
including governor’s office
African American voters
$2 poll tax paid
 Big public event – cookouts
 Parks, individual help, etc.
 Loyal voters


20. Crump, continued






1946 Time magazine stated: "Crump has given
Memphis everything but a freely elected
government."
Efficient administrator
Local utilities upgraded to be envied across
state
Arguably best fire dept. in country
Kept taxes low
First safety inspections of automobiles in
South

21. Crump, continued








BUT - Capitalized on the desperation of people
during Great Depression
Forced political rivals from town
Criticism and public opposition not allowed
Had reporters beaten (election fraud)
Unions were harassed
Kept Black leadership and CIO organizers
intimidated
Had to purchase insurance from Crump Company
to open shop
Made money on auto inspections

22. How can this happen?
Theoretical background of criminal
group formation

Social structure theory (Product of social
structure)
 Varying
patterns of criminal behavior exist within
the social structure
 Not biological or psychological
 Results from society itself

23. Social structure

The distribution of wealth, power, and prestige
creates social classes
 segments
of society with similar portions of
material goods
 And who share attitudes, values, norms, and
lifestyle

Supports fragmentation among classes

24. Ecological, Social Disorganization
Theory (Builds upon SS Theory)

Forces among impoverished groups push
some of its members in the direction of
criminal behavior

Shaw and McKay studied court records from
1880s-1930s Chicago

Plotted addresses of criminals on map
Created five zones


25. Zones - Chicago

26. Results

Most arrestees lived in Zone II, the transitional
zone
 Held

true over time
Zone II Characteristics
 Downtown
or industrial areas
 Substandard, deteriorated housing – blight
 Low levels of home ownership
 Low income
 Poorer health

27. Zone II Characteristics
continued





High unemployment
High rates of crime
High levels of mobility, short and long term
Turnover of ethnic groups
Ethnic groups changed over time but crime
rates remained high

28. Zone II characteristics
continued




Successive waves of immigrants lived in Zone
II
First generation was law-abiding – hopeful
But their children had high likelihood of
delinquency
Held true over time, regardless of ethnic group

29. Conclusions


Zone II neighborhoods produced high levels of
crime and delinquency
Although specific ethnic groups took the blame
at the time, crime was high regardless of
ethnic group or culture
 Immigration

reforms of 1924 resulted
But Shaw and McKay argued that these areas
put adolescents at risk because of community
level social disorganization

30. Extrapolation

Social factors included:
 Poverty
 Alienation
 Fear
of crime, suspicion of others
 Competition for limited jobs
 Unstable households due to limited and uncertain
employment
 Discouraged
employment

31. Extrapolation, continued



Neighborhood structure influences criminal
behavior
Arises in response to adverse conditions in
slum areas
Community members do not mobilize or help
each other because of fear

32. Extrapolation, continued

Stressed parents have less influence over
children
 Need


assistance – but that’s not available
Children grow up in the presence of
adolescent gangs and adult criminals
Crime is an option and opportunity

33. Modern Crime-prone areas




Transitional zones
Large number single-parent families
Declining economic base
Adjoining neighborhoods also experience
increase in crime

34. Strain Theory (individual
response)

Crime is the result of the frustration people
experience when they are unable to achieve
social and financial success

People respond in various ways to social and
economic conditions, depending upon their
goals and the resources available to them

Crime serves a Function

35. Modes of Adaptation
Goals
Means
Crime
Conformity
+
+
-
Innovation
+
-
+
Ritualism
-
+
-
Retreat
-
-
+
+/-
+/-
+
Rebellion

36. Modes of Adaptation





Conformity: join the majority vision of
successful society
Innovation: same goals, criminal means
Ritualism: hard work, thrift – but no
expectation of success
Retreat: rejection of vision – vagrants, drug
users
Rebellion: change vision and distribution of
means
 Reformers,
rebellion, cults

37. Today’s Ethnic Politics
(The Challenge of Governance)


Rising immigration and changing
demographics
New groups = new political voices?

Few face-to-face relationships
Patronage and kick-backs not easily
accomplished
Mass media elections

Who represents and binds groups?

