They do give them coal and help them in their private troubles, but, as they grow rich and powerful, the kindness goes out of the charity and they not only collect at their saloons or in rents "cash for their goodness? they not only ruin fathers and sons and cause the troubles they relieve; they sacrifice the children in the schools; let the Health Department neglect the tenements, and, worst of all, plant vice in the neighborhood and in the homes of the poor (Hyser 375)
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Steffens?article was later published in a book called The Shame of the Cities and exposed the corruption to Americans at a national level, thereby stirring the progressives to take action.
Often the city state governments were controlled by corrupt individuals who tried to block economic reforms. However, progressive mayors began taking office in the late-nineteenth century. Two examples are Tom L. Johnson of Cleveland and Samuel M. Jones of Toledo. Both helped end corruption in law enforcement, public transportation, and other city services. Progressives also worked to increase the political power of the voters. Voters were given the power to recall, which means they had the power to remove a person from public office before the end of their term.
Other political reforms adopted by the state governments included home rule, the initiative, and the referendum. Home rule meant granting cities the right to govern themselves. The initiative gave voters the ability to pass laws without approval from the state legislature. Through the referendum voters could also reject laws accepted by the legislature.
Progressives felt the need for social reforms, too. This included reforms in response to the poor quality of meatpacking houses. Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle exposed the poor conditions of meatpacking houses:.
"They advertised potted chicken?--and it was like the boarding-hose soup of the comic papers, through which a chicken had walked with rubbers on.
