At the height of his power in New York City, around 1870, William Marcy (Boss) Tweed s hands were everywhere in city government and party politics. His success in looting the city treasury and using the payoff to achieve his objectives earned him a reputation as the classic example of the corrupt municipal boss. Amidst the turbulent political and social conditions of a metropolis in the making, Boss Tweed was, according to Mr. Mandelbaum, the right man at the right time a master communicator who united the elements in a divided society. In effect he replaced the good communications which the...