I hate say this, but there was a time that Philadelphia was run by a Republican machine. The Democrats learned a lot of their dirty tricks from Republicans and felt entitled to use the tricks on Republicans as payback.
How long ago are you talking about? The 1920s? Dems have controlled the inner cities since FDR, and the only machines I am familiar with are the Dem ones in NY and Boston, and Chicago. If the GOP controlled Philly with a machine, it was long ago and short-lived, and not characteristic of Republican governance. Corrupt machine politics, power for the sake of power, not policy, is part of the lifeblood of the Democrat party.
When was there a Republican machine running Philadelphia? I’m 60 years old and with exception of Frank Rizzo who ran as both a Democrat & a Republican I can’t remember any Republican mayor of Philadelphia.