Chicago's Levee was typical of pre-Prohibition American cities, when "organized crime" was small-time and local. All cities(even the smaller ones) had a "levee," a "tenderloin," or a "red light district" where vice--gambling, prostitution, drugs and untaxed alcohol--flourished. Ward heelers like The Hink and Bathhouse John were the powers because they took bribes from the vice operators, paid off police and judges, and kept the bulk for themselves. Prohibition put OC on the map because the booze trade was inherently big-time, and national (even international) in scope. And, so much money was being made that the vice operators, like Torrio and Capone, didn't need ward heelers--they not only paid off local cops and judges directly, but also corrupted governors, senators and even President Harding's closest advisers. They paved the way for Cosa Nostra's heyday.