144 Machine Politics 



as get into the clutches of the law, gets a hold over 

 such of them as have done wrong and are afraid of 

 being exposed, and learns to mix judicious bullying 

 with the rendering of service. 



But, in addition to all this, the boss owes very 

 much of his commanding influence to his social re- 

 lations with various bodies of his constituents; and 

 it is his work as well as his pleasure to keep up these 

 relations. No debutante during her first winter in 

 society has a more exacting round of social duties 

 to perform than has a prominent ward politician. 

 In every ward there are numerous organizations, 

 primarily social in character, but capable of being 

 turned to good account politically. The Amalga- 

 mated Hack-drivers' Union, the Hibernian Republi- 

 can Club, the West Side Young Democrats, the Jef- 

 ferson C. Mullin Picnic Association, there are 

 twenty such bodies as these in every district, and 

 with, at any rate, the master spirits in each and all 

 it is necessary for the boss to keep on terms of in- 

 timate and, indeed, rather boisterous friendship. 

 When the Jefferson C. Mullin society goes on a 

 picnic, the average citizen scrupulously avoids its 

 neighborhood; but the boss goes, perhaps with his 

 wife, and, moreover, enjoys himself heartily, and is 

 hail-fellow-well-met with the rest of the picnickers, 

 who, by the way, may be by no means bad fellows ; 

 and when election day comes round, the latter, in re- 

 turn, no matter to what party they may nominally 

 belong, enthusiastically support their friend and 

 guest, on social, not political, grounds. The boss 



