Did Political machines have a positive or negative effect on America?

Political Machines developed in cities are were run by men who were "professional" politicians in the sense that the purpose of the machine was to keep "friends" in office and to povide the needed votes to "elect" those friends. The leader of the machine did not have to be an elected official. Most were not. The purpose was to increase the profit of the machine by the use of graft, bribes, threats, and election fixing. As one investigator into machines said, the machine was always working for its pockets. Machines got the officials to grant the machine kickbacks, grants, contracts for city work. . .all at exorbitant prices. The Tweed Ring in New York, for example, charged the city $179,000 for four tables and forty chairs. The most interesting item was "Brooms, ect." for $41,190.95!! Many machine members got city jobs that did not exist and machine party member names were listed on the city payroll lists and paid out of taxpayer money. Machines contributed nothing to the economic health and safety of the city, but cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.