THE FIRST $1,000,000 107 
time my term of office as commissioner expired—it was two 
or three times called up for action, but each time “went 
over” by request. 
SECRET SESSIONS DISFAVORED. 
While the discussion on the bids during June and July, 
1896, was going on, at least some of the commissioners ap- 
peared to be impressed by the circumstances occasioning the 
adverse comments on secret sessions. This is shown by a 
statement made by myself after the board meeting July 22, 
1896, in response to an inquiry from the News as to the 
attitude of the commission regarding these executive ses- 
sions, and published the day following. This statement was 
in part as follows: 
“We have about concluded all that part of our work 
wherein we considered that the interests of the county 
might suffer by premature publication, and I know of no 
reason why our meetings should not be open to the public 
hereafter. We are simply the agents of the taxpayers, who 
have placed at our disposal the expenditure of $2,500,000. 
While our selection may have been due to confidence reposed 
in our judgment, it is natural that the public should express 
anxiety as to the manner in which we are executing the 
trust. By affording every facility in this direction, we will 
remove all causes for criticism and make our relations with 
the public more pleasant. 
“Tt is admitted that much of our work was of a character 
that would suffer by premature publicity. 
“We considered that the interests of the county would be 
best served by conducting our negotiations for property 
quietly and without publicity, which might tend to cause ex- 
orbitant prices to be demanded in certain sections. Now 
our labor in that direction is about complete. We have 
nearly all the land necessary for the Branch Brook and the 
East Side parks. The same may be said in reference to the 
Eagle Rock, South Orange Mountain, and Waverly parks, 
and options have already been tendered on land for a West 
Side Park. The balance of our work, in my opinion, can be 
