MORE BONDS AND “HIGH FINANCE” 149 
nouncement of the Park Commission shortage, “should be 
amended.” This method of appointment, he said, “is wrong 
and opposed to the popular notions of self-government.” 
“Under certain contingencies,” he wrote, “it might re- 
move the power of selection entirely from an officer of Essex 
County and place it with an official residing in some dis- 
tant part of the State. This might occur in the event of 
the selection of a Park Commission being made during a 
vacancy in the Supreme Court in this county. Officers of 
such importance should be chosen by the people. A public 
board making such large demands upon the taxable prop- 
erty of the community should be in closer touch with the 
people of the community. According to the highest concep- 
tions of popular government, that closer touch is to be had 
only through the medium of the ballot-box. The law should 
be changed and the Park Commissioners be compelled to 
take their chances before the community.” 
These forcibly-expressed sentiments, published both in 
the leading New Jersey and New York papers almost con- 
currently with the park deficiency statements quoted, appar- 
ently touched a responsive chord with many people through- 
out Essex County. While the Mayor’s presentment was 
merely an elaboration of the anti-appointive commission 
plank of the Democratic city platform, as before mentioned, 
its reception by the public was no doubt accentuated by the 
disappointment which the call for more funds to complete 
the parks occasioned. The claim was at once made by the 
‘partisan advocates of the appointive plan, that the attack of 
the Mayor and those favoring his side of the question was 
in reality naught but an incident in the play of politics, and 
an attempted flank movement by which the Democratic 
minority hoped to secure a “vantage” point with the people 
over their Republican opponents, who counted upon then 
having a safe working majority locally as well as in the 
Legislature. ; 
Senator Ketcham came at once to the rescue, and in a 
published interview told of his surprise at the Mayor’s state- 
ments. He explained the features of the park law he had 
