Reform-minded legislators reversed their principles when the official was Moses

Evidence

And the reformers had considerable influence over the Republican legislators from the city. Soon Herbert Brownell, Jr., already, at twenty-nine, not only a state assemblyman but also a partner in a prestigious Wall Street legal firm, was speaking on behalf of the “Moses bill.” Another GOP legislator from the city, Jay E. Rice, was arguing against Brownell when, as the Herald Tribune noted, “Mr. Rice was called on the telephone from New York and returned to the Assembly Chamber to withdraw his objection.” The string-pulling Long Island barons who had come to see Moses as a friend pulled their strings. La Guardia gave assurances that the city was not surrendering any of its independence. “The city retains complete control through its properly constituted authorities over every cent it spends and everything it does.” — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 1603

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to earlier chapters’ theme that reform agencies muted criticism once their friends held power and shared patronage (ch8), and to reformers misreading Moses’ methods (ch19). — connects to: Even reform allies saw Moses’ plan as unfair to deserving workers — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 347; Moses mobilized the Legislature’s power brokers against Lindsay’s reform. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 4561; Reformers excused Moses’ abuses until he turned them on themselves — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 2839 (+4 more)
• ADDENDUM: Feeds the recurring theme of how principled reformers abandon their own procedural values for trusted individuals — relevant to complaints about hypocrisy when an admired figure gets a pass.

Broader Connections

• Moses mobilized the Legislature’s power brokers against Lindsay’s reform. #corroborates (0.85) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 4561
• Reformers excused Moses’ abuses until he turned them on themselves #corroborates (0.78) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 2839