150 



FIRST COUNTY PAEK SYSTEM 



so earnestly favored, and defended his support of that 

 aneasure in the Legislature on the ground of expediency — 

 as he considered the appointive Park Board under the ex- 

 isting conditions far preferable to an elective commission. 



MoisrsiGNOR doane's views. 



Monsignor G. H. Doane was also a zealous supporter of 

 the Park Commission's cause. He, too, responded vigor- 

 ously. While not touching in any way upon the political 

 features of the controversy, his optimistic thought in favor 

 of some of the things then accomplished toward the im- 

 provement of Branch Brook Park was clearly expressed in a 

 published letter January 9, 1897. In this letter, after re- 

 ferring to the skating he had just witnessed in the park as 

 being "Holland over again" and wishing he were "a boy 

 once more,^' he added : "The promise of the beauty of the 

 park is great, and the commissioners and engineers are 

 showing great judgment, skill, knowledge and good taste." 



Others joined in the effort to repel the attack, and the 

 conflict of words soon had the appearance of a drawn battle, 

 yet actually leaving the appointive commission in possession 

 and victor of the field. The discussion, however, bore fruit 

 in largely extending in the public mind the objection to an 

 appointive commission. This was manifestly the result, as 

 shown by the resolutions of disapproval of that system in 

 the different political conventions since. Published indi- 

 vidual opinions then and since have reflected a similar sen- 

 timent as existing in the minds of officials and publicists, 

 both in Essex and in Hudson counties and elsewhere, in 

 conformity with the generally accepted objection to specially 

 appointed public boards. 



One of the persistent advocates of the elective plan con- 

 tended that the only answer to the claim that the appoint- 

 ive system is in every way contrary to the fundamental 

 structure upon which our entire political and representa« 

 tive system of government is based, has been that "the law 

 so provides," and that such legislative results are "accom^ 

 plished by log rolling, Bolimimg and jollving of ignorant^ 



