...and there's another parallel between them, Vito (although I'm not trying to equate Washington with Luciano):

If Washington had agreed with those who wanted him to be "king," he'd have been taking a stand against everything the Revolutionaries fought for. And as a practical matter, given the spirit of liberty, he'd have been reduced to a figurehead--a "constitutional monarch," which would have made him and all subsequent chief executives impotent and would have upset the checks and balances system by putting far more power in the courts and Congress.

Luciano arranged to get rid of Masseria and Maranzano because he believed the "moustache Petes" were obsolete and were holding back organized crime from making real money in modern America. For him to be the new capo di tutti capi, he'd be recreating the very position that led him to be the point man in whacking the last capo: Maranzano. And, as a practical matter, he didn't need to declare himself the top guy: everyone knew he was tops. He brilliantly appointed Capone as chairman of the Commission and Bonanno as secretary because he wanted the Chicago outfit (not a Mafia organization) to be brought into the fold; and to give Bonanno an incentive to cooperate with others. The titles were honorifics--he was the real boss.

But at the same time, he never attempted to impose his will on the Commission. He knew Dons would cooperate only when they wanted to and saw something in it for themselves. So, for example, he got the Commission to approve the assassination of Dutch Shultz because Shultz's intention to kill special prosecutor Thomas Dewey would have brought unacceptable law enforcement heat on all of them.