A corrupt county charter bill served as the currency of a legislative vote trade

Evidence

Westchester, he saw, was a weak spot in the Republican wall: Boss William Ward wanted a new charter for the county, one that would centralize its government under his thumb, and the necessary county referendum on the charter could be authorized only by Legislature—and Governor. A bill authorizing the referendum happened even then to be awaiting Smith’s signature or veto. Moses paid a visit to Ward and one of Ward’s senators, Seabury C. Mastick. Smith signed the bill—and soon political observers were reporting that Ward had promised Smith the votes of the seven legislators he controlled, and that Mastick might even introduce the park bill Smith wanted. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 880

Categorization

• XREF: Mirrors the vote-trading and logrolling mechanics familiar from legislative-politics readings; also connects to how infrastructure and reform advance through backroom deals. — connects to: Parliamentary backing transformed a shaky private venture into an enormous corruption scheme — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 287

Broader Connections

• Parliamentary backing transformed a shaky private venture into an enormous corruption scheme #expands (0.80) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 287