Machine Politics 133 



central boss, assisted by some trusted and able lieu- 

 tenants; these communicate with the different dis- 

 trict bosses, whom they alternately bully and assist. 

 The district boss in turn has a number of half- 

 subordinates, half-allies, under him; these latter 

 choose the captains of the election districts, etc., and 

 come into contact with the common heelers. The 

 more stupid and ignorant the common heelers are, 

 and the more implicitly they obey orders, the greater 

 becomes the effectiveness of the machine. An ideal 

 machine has for its officers men of marked force, 

 cunning and unscrupulous, and for its common sol- 

 diers men who may be either corrupt or moderately 

 honest, but who must be of low intelligence. This 

 is the reason why such a large proportion of the 

 members of every political machine are recruited 

 from the lower grades of the foreign population. 

 These henchmen obey unhesitatingly the orders of 

 their chiefs, both at the primary or caucus and on 

 election day, receiving regular rewards for so doing, 

 either in employment procured for them or else in 

 money outright. Of course it is by no means true 

 that these men are all actuated merely by mercenary 

 motives. The great majority entertain also a real 

 feeling of allegiance toward the party to which they 

 belong, or toward the political chief whose fortunes 

 they follow; and many work entirely without pay 

 and purely for what they believe to be right. In- 

 deed, an experienced politician always greatly pre- 

 fers to have under him men whose hearts are in 

 their work and upon whose unbribed devotion he can 



