Political Power - The Machine

Richard J. Daley was born into the tough, politically charged South Side of Chicago. As a young man, Daley joined several neighborhood political clubs. One of these clubs, the Hamburgs, spawned a number of successful politicians. At twenty-one, Daley becomes a precinct captain in a tough South Side ward. Working for one of his old Hamburg cronies, Daley learns the ins and outs of the city's political machine. He learns important skills: Help your friends, hurt your enemies, adjust a case through the police and add up the votes until they come out right. He understands the power of The Machine, which is comprised of precinct captains, ward bosses and Aldermen.

Some years after his entry into Chicago politics, Daley was able to finally secure a ward leadership and became part of the powerful Democratic Central Committee—the body that runs the Democratic...