Kifoy
The quote you gave us runs up against a wall in one regard. Russell didn't centralize the power among the Bible Students. The local elders were elected by the congregations themselves instead of appointed by the Society. And because of that they answered to their congregants, as they had to be reelected every year, instead of Russell. Sure, they nominally promised to follow his general directions. But there was nothing he could do if they didn't. whatever you want to think about him personally, he did believe that was the right way for the Bible Students to be organized. That tells me he was a better man than most like to admit around here.
And in case folks never noticed it around here, when Russell figured out what kind of man Rutherford was, he put him out of the headquarters and bribed him to go as far away from Brooklyn as he could get on the American continent. What he didn't anticipate was that Rutherford already had some cronies highly placed at the Watchtower who were willing to do everything they could to see Rutherford in power. One of those cronies, A.H. MacMillan, was close enough to Russell himself that Russell left him nominally in charge of directing things at the Watchtower when he went on his final trip away from Brooklyn. Thus unknowingly setting the stage for Rutherford's triumphant return when Russell died and his seizure of power.
The centralization of power was done by Rutherford. And most sensibly left when they figured out what was going on.
Forscher