Non-fiction: The Struggle for Self-Government

Overview

Lincoln Steffens's 1906 collection presents a sustained investigation into the failures and possibilities of American self-government. Composed of essays and first‑hand reportage, the writing moves beyond scandal and accusation to probe why municipal and state governments become corrupt and what keeps honest government from taking root. The tone alternates between indignation at entrenched abuses and a cautious optimism that civic renewal is attainable if citizens change their habits and institutions are remade.

Main themes

Steffens foregrounds the interplay between political machines, business interests, and public apathy. Corruption is shown not as the practice of a few rogues but as a system sustained by incentives, patronage, and the comfort of relying on brokers for services and favors. The analysis stresses that legal forms and municipal structures often reward shortcuts and concentrate power in the hands of bosses, while ordinary voters accept or ignore the tradeoffs that allow machines to endure.

Method and style

Reporting combines vivid anecdote, moral critique, and comparative observation. Steffens uses specific episodes of graft and misrule to illustrate broader patterns, writing with the plain, forceful prose of investigative journalism. Rather than moralizing from a distance, the account treats political life as practical and contingent, inviting readers to see how ordinary habits and institutional rules produce corrupt outcomes.

Diagnosis of causes

The underlying diagnosis locates the problem in both institutions and character. Political machines thrive because they supply tangible needs, jobs, services, credit, to people who lack effective alternatives, and because business interests exploit lax regulations and close relationships with officials. At the same time, citizens often abdicate responsibility: apathy, resignation, or short‑term self‑interest blunt collective action. Steffens emphasizes that corruption is not merely about venal individuals but about social arrangements that make venality rational.

Proposed solutions

Remedies emphasize civic engagement and institutional redesign rather than mere denunciation. Steffens argues for greater transparency, accountable municipal administration, and reforms that remove the perverse incentives of patronage and secret deals. He stresses the role of an informed and active public, a free press that exposes wrongdoing, and practical measures that alter how power is distributed at the local level. The aim is to align everyday political behavior with the principles of democratic self‑rule by changing both minds and mechanisms.

Impact and relevance

The collection helped shape Progressive‑Era debates by converting investigative exposure into a program for reform. Its insistence that political life must be judged by civic outcomes rather than partisan rhetoric influenced municipal reformers and public discourse about government responsibility. The work remains useful as a historical record of early twentieth‑century urban politics and as a meditation on why democratic institutions succeed or fail, reminding contemporary readers that self‑government depends on habits, structures, and ongoing public vigilance.