Problems associated with the "urban machine" were that they were undemocratic and were corrupt. They moved the political system to allow candidates to win based upon vote-buying, coercion, and other corrupt methods. They were therefore effective or ineffective depending on the relationship you had with the machine and also whether or not you wanted to see a democratic system or not.
During the American Revolution, American society was divided between two groups. One group wanted to revolt against the British and become independent. Another group, known as loyalists, wanted to remain under the control of Great Britain.
With this in mind, it is easy to understand the fact that a loyalist would try to sabotage any efforts by the American colonists to break free from Great Britain. Along with this, loyalists would share inside information with the British military so that they would be aware of the rebels plans.
