246 FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM 
the avenue known as Park avenue into a parkway. 
“This commission can, with the funds likely to be at its 
disposal for maintenance purposes, undertake the care of 
Park avenue, at least to the extent that it is cared for by the 
Board of Freeholders, and if the Park Commission shall, in 
the future, be provided with further funds, it will undertake 
to develop Park avenue for parkway purposes in a manner 
more commensurate with such purposes. 
“Very respectfully, 
“Tue Essex County Park CoMMIssIon.” 
As now read between the lines and measured at this dis- 
tance of time, this communication seems to indicate clearly 
enough that the commission had quietly succumbed to the 
persuasive wiles of the traction syndicate and had, as pre- 
dicted, “practically abandoned” Central avenue. Such re- 
ports were given wide publicity and were greatly acceler- 
ated by the statements of the trolley agents and attorneys. 
These reports were still more prejudicial to the commission. 
This latter request, for Park avenue only, contrasted with 
the board’s prior statement of April 3, as quoted in the 
preceding chapter, was one of the alleged reasons. 
The Chronicle of June 23, 1902, referred to the Park 
avenue request as “a surprising letter,’ and asked the Park 
Board for an explanation, adding: “Why has it been left 
to citizens to contend for the parkways? has been a question 
heard on every side with no satisfactory answer. The people 
gave their confidence, their support and vast appropriations 
of money, expecting the commission to be faithful to the 
trust reposed in it and carry out its own plans for the two 
connecting parkways free from political manipulation. 
While their words have been smooth, the best friends of the 
parks and of the commissioners have found it difficult to 
explain their action.” ; 
The Journal concluded that “the application of the Park 
Commission for permission to improve Park avenue as a 
parkway, is a pretty thorough justification of the position 
taken by The Journal that the Essex County Park Commis» 
