realizing his gullibility and his poor citizenship.

What are the evil results of political corruption?

(1) The obvious result of these conditions is inefficiency of
administration and waste of the public moneys. The real interests of
city or State are neglected. Streets become filthy, unsanitary
tenements are built, firetrap factories and theaters allowed; every
effort to improve public health is sidetracked, and the will of the
people is subordinated to the will of the gang. Officials are nominated
or appointed not for their competence but for their subservience to
the organization; the boss himself, inexpert in administration,
responsible to no one, and usually bribable, dictates public policy.
The public funds disappear as in a quicksand; extravagant prices are
paid for building lots and contracts, in return for political support
or a share of the loot. Philadelphia before the reform movement of
1911 borrowed fifty-one million dollars in four years, and at the end
had practically nothing to show for it, with the city dirty, buildings
out of repair, and everything important neglected. One contractor in
the "ring" was paid $520,000 a year to remove the city garbage-a
privilege which is actually paid for in some cities, the value of the
garbage for fertilizer and the manufacture of other products making
the collection of it a profitable business.

(2) Another evil result lies in the subordination of general to local
interests. The scattered and ineffective "pork-barrel" appropriations
of Congress are dictated not by intelligent consideration for the
public weal, but by the desire to throw a sop to this and that section
of the country, and thereby win votes. Costly buildings are authorized
in many towns where they are not needed, river and harbor improvements