Progressive Politics Reforming the political arena.
To the victor The spoils system favored loyalty over. merit Following the assassination of, President Garfield the US Congress creates the CIVIL SERVICE ACT of 1883 The Civil Service Commission oversees the hiring of public employees. Merit Systems - Tests administered to those qualified.
BOOK - The Shame of the Cities - 1906 Began as a set of articles in McClure s Magazine EXPOSED - Corruption in city governments & business. RESULT - A. Motivated reformers to lead anti - corruption movements. secret ballots 17 th Amendment B.. C.. D. CITY COMMISSIONS.
Boss Tweed The King of Tammany Hall Ran NY State & NYC from 1866 to 1871 Stole between 30 200 to million dollars From New York State and New York City.
That s ONE BILLION $ FIVE $ HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TODAY!
Thomas Nast Famed political cartoonist. Known for the and the, not to mention. elephant santa 500,000 take a trip donkey Offered $ by Tweed to - He declined.
The Brains 1871
The following selection illustrates the way the politicians of the city recruited followers: What tells in holdin your grip on your district is to go right down among the poor families and help them. I've got a regular system for this. If there's a fire in Ninth or Tenth or Eleventh Avenue, for example, any hour of the day or night, I'm usually there with some of my election district captains as soon as the fore engines. If a family is burned out I don't I don't ask them if they are Republicans or Democrats, and I don't refer them to the Charity Organization Society, which would investigate their case in a month or two and decide if they are worthy of help about the time they are dead from starvation. I just get quarters for them, buy clothes for them if their clothes were all burned up, and fix them up until they get things runnin' again. It's philanthropy, but it's politics too - mighty good politics. Who can tell me how many votes one of those fires brings me? The poor are the most grateful people in the world, and, let me tell you, they have more friends in their neighborhoods than the rich have in theirs... Another thing, I can always get a deserving man a job. I make it a point to keep track of jobs, and it seldom happens that I don't have a few up my sleeve ready for use. I hear a young feller that's proud of his voice... I ask him to join our Glee Club. He comes up and sings, and he's a follower of Plunkitt for life. Another young feller gains a reputation as a baseball player in a vacant lot. I bring him into our baseball club. That fixes him. You'll find him working for my ticket at the polls next election. I rope them all in by givin' them opportunities to show off themselves off. I don't trouble them with political arguments. --George Washington Plunkitt, Politician, New York, 1889
Rod Blagojevich former governor of Illinois
Near Tears, Crooked Congressman Quits Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges. He admitted taking $2.4 million in bribes in a case that grew from an investigation into the sale of his home to a wide-ranging conspiracy involving payments in cash, vacations and antiques. Appearing close to tears, Cunningham said today: "I cannot undo what I have done but I can atone." U.S. Attorney Carol Lam said: "He did the worst thing an elected official can do -- he enriched himself through his position." Monday, November 28, 2005; Posted: 4:28 p.m. EST (21:28 GMT)
Near Tears, Crooked Congressman Quits A former Louisiana congressman who famously stashed cash in his freezer was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for taking hundreds of thousands in bribes in exchange for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa. Agents investigating the case found $90,000 wrapped in foil and hidden in boxes of frozen pie crusts in his freezer. Jefferson said nothing in court after he was sentenced. He was convicted in August of 11 counts, including bribery and racketeering. Prosecutors at his two-month trial said he took roughly $500,000 in bribes and sought millions more. He was acquitted of five other charges, including the one most closely associated with the money in his freezer. November 13, 2009, ABCnews.com