Corruption

Chicagoans were unusually tolerant of corruption and were not inclined to question behind the scenes antics if those might benefit them. 

Many would gladly pay a bribe to a government official so long as the amount was reasonable and they got what they paid for. They considered it unfair, though, if they had to pay a bribe and somebody else didn’t.

If a motorist received a ticket for driving 45 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone, for example, that person may have sought to “fix” the ticket and would gladly pay a bribe for the service. The cost of the payoff was less than the cost of the ticket and it prevented the violation from appearing on the driver’s record and possibly affecting his auto insurance rate.

And voters did not always view corrupt politicians negatively.

Congressman Daniel Rostenkowski, who had chaired the House Ways and Means Committee and was also a Chicago Democratic Ward Committeman, was often praised for his thirty-six years in Congress where he was considered a champion of Chicago’s needs, despite having served prison time for mail fraud committed during his tenure. (Federal investigators also charged him with jury tampering, ghost payrolling, and personal use of government funds).