Lincoln Steffens tells of historic corruption scandals in the major cities of the United States: St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York City. Houses of prostitution were called "disorderly houses" back in 1903. They were illegal, but if you ran one and you paid the right people in the government, the law would look the other way. If you were the landlord and rented a building for a brothel, you paid, too. And the "working girls" had to buy their clothes and such from a specified shop, also kicking back money to the police. The money all flowed back to city hall.

If you wanted to run a trolley car line, you had to pay for a "right of way", and much of this payment went into the pockets of the persons who ran city hall. City contracts for roads, bridges, buildings, and schools all were rigged to favor the politicians' favored suppliers and contractors who were overpaid for their goods and services. Then they split the loot with the civil "servants".

Patronage also applied to the people employed by the city. If you "donated" enough money or delivered enough votes on election day you (or your brother, uncle, etc.) could become a policeman, fireman, clerk, school teacher.

Tough guys roughed up "unfriendly" voters on their way to the polls to discourage them. Then they assisted their friends in voting multiple times for their favorite candidate.

Steffens was the towering figure in journalism of the early 20th century. This is a series of articles he wrote uncovering the graft and corruption at the highest levels of municipal governments across the country: the "Boodlers" stealing money from public piggy banks through a wide variety of schemes and plans made in smoke-filled rooms; trading power for profit; selling rights and property that belonged to the public and putting the money in their own pockets.

The stories are real. The facts were uncovered by Steffens in a long series of in-depth investigations. The public was shocked and pledges for "good government" followed.

This is the birth of investigative journalism. It made a difference.