PEELBIIXAET WOEK COMPLETED 43 



Ila^a^al reservations for park purposes. Others contended 

 that delay would largely increase tke cost of the requisite 

 park lands. Many suggestions were made apropos of the 

 discussion. The occasion was but another indication of the 

 sentiment of good will and best wishes which generally pre- 

 vailed at that time. 



Before passing from the work of the first Park Commis- 

 sion, there are two or three matters that were considered 

 and acted upon in the preparation of the charier creating 

 the permanent commission, which it may be of interest to 

 refer to here. There were two vital principles involved. 

 First, as to whether the commission for establishing and 

 maintaining the park system should be elective or appoint- 

 ive, and, if appointive, in what of&cial or court or courts 

 the appointing power should be vested. And second, should 

 provision be made for directly assessing the cost of the lands 

 for the parks and the improvements, or both; or should a 

 portion of the c-ost, or all of the cost, be provided for by a 

 general tax according to the ratables upon the county as a 

 whole. It was deemed imperative to have these conditions 

 clearly defined, and, before John E. Emery submitted the 

 first draft of the proposed charter, on January 25, 1895, 

 the points pro and con, as to an appointive board, had been 

 seriously considered by the commissioners. They were 

 unanimous in the conclusion, in consideration of the 

 methods by which candidates for important county ofiices 

 secured, or were accorded, nominations through the cus- 

 tomary channels of party selection, that, for such a position 

 as that of park c-ommissioner, charged with the responsi- 

 bility of locating, acquiring and developing an extended 

 park system and the consequent expenditure of large sums 

 of public funds, the chances might be more favorable for sat- 

 isfactory results under the appointive plan than under the 

 elective system. 



THE APPOIXTrVE STSTEM. 



It was recognized that the work of locating and devolop- 

 ing a series of parks for so large an area of such diversified 



