Their wards, more than any in the city, were increasing in what might be called a vote-piling capacity, the honest, legitimate vote not being so large, but the opportunities afforded for colonizing, repeating, and ballot-box stuffing being immense.

In a doubtful mayoralty campaign the first and second wards alone, coupled with a portion of the third adjoining them, would register sufficient illegitimate votes (after voting-hours, if necessary) to completely change the complexion of the city as to the general officers nominated.
Large amounts of money were sent to Tiernan and Kerrigan around election time by the Democratic County Committee to be disposed of as they saw fit.

They merely sent in a rough estimate of how much they would need, and always received a little more than they asked for.
They never made nor were asked to make accounting afterward.

Tiernan would receive as high as fifteen and eighteen, Kerrigan sometimes as much as twenty to twenty-five thousand dollars, his being the pivotal ward under such circumstances.
McKenty had recently begun to recognize that these two men would soon have to be given fuller consideration, for they were becoming more or less influential.

But how?
Their personalities, let alone the reputation of their wards and the methods they employed, were not such as to command public confidence.