The Gilded Age was corrupt, and corruption in government and business mattered. Corruption suffused government and the economy. “Friendship” defined the relation between public officials and businessmen, and officials from postmasters to deputy sheriffs and judges received fees for services. Lavish subsidies went to private corporations such as the transcontinental railroads, and the government subcontracted public responsibilities from prisons, Indian reservations, moral regulation, and more to churches, corporations, and other private organizations.
