154 FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM 
New England Society, the Roseville Improvement Associa- 
tion and other organizations had, just prior to the election, 
passed resolutions favoring the adoption of the law, and the 
approval of the act by the voters. 
Another factor which might have been favorable in de- 
ciding the vote was the impression and promise given out 
by the commission that the additional $1,500,000 asked for 
would be sufficient to complete the park system plans. The 
News of January 21, 1898, gave a detailed account of a con- 
ference upon the new appropriation bill “held at the home 
of Franklin Murphy, treasurer of the Park Commission,” 
the night previous, at which meeting Senator Ketcham, a 
number of the Essex County assemblymen, and all of the 
park commissioners, excepting Mr. Bramhall, were present. 
It was there stated, according to this report of the confer- 
ence, that while the amount ($1,500,000) “would not do 
all that might be done, for the commission could expend 
$5,000,000 if all the suggestions advanced were followed, 
yet it would, he said, be sufficient to leave the county in 
possession of a park system, properly connected by park- 
ways, second to none in the country, and all secured for a 
total outlay of only $4,000,000.” 
SIGNIFICANCE OF SMALL VOTE. 
The comparatively small total vote of 24,691—only a lit- 
tle more than half in the county—and the reduced majority 
of only 4,783, as against a majority of 8,321 for the first 
appropriation, April 15, 1895, clearly reflected the reduced 
interest in and lack of popular support of the commission 
and of the county park undertaking, as it was then before 
the public. On January 11, 1898, the commission made a 
requisition on the Board of Freeholders for the $1,500,000, 
as provided in the bill, “on approval of the bill by the peo- 
ple,” and in April, directly after the vote on the bill, an 
unconditional requisition was made for $500,000 of the ap- 
propriation as then available. 
The issuance of these bonds was delayed for several 
months. A technical question had arisen as to the legality 
