Answer: Their leaders won international acclaim.
Both groups assisted immigrants, were popular among locals, and operated at a neighborhood level, but for very different reasons. Settlement House groups aimed to alleviate poverty in cities and help new immigrants to integrate more easily into their new society. Political machines also provided assistance to immigrants, but their main objective was to gain the loyalty of these groups for their own political aims.
International acclaim was not generally enjoyed by those who established settlement houses, since these usually operated on a smaller scale.