City and State Reforms

Few Are Immune.

Reformers in major cities at the turn of the century faced widespread problems. It seemed as if no city were immune to corruption and graft. Geography played no favorites. Reporters and journalists found city councils for sale as well as mayors protecting criminals or keeping company with criminal elements in Jersey City, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and many other major cities. Men with names such as "Hinky Dink" Kenna and "Bath Tub" John Coughlin and political machines such as Tammany Hall in New York City supplied the necessary votes on election day to keep their systems operating. Franchises for streetcars, water and sewage, gas, and electricity were sold to private companies—often run by the corrupt politicians or their friends—with fifty-year leases that allowed them to set rates without interference. The police and other civil servants employed to protect the public interest were no less corrupt, taking...

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