186 FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM 



or at least one hand — in November, 1896, differences at 

 once arose as to the attitude of the commission, and what 

 position should be indicated to the East Orange authori- 

 ties and the public. 



Commissioners Shepard and Murphy were disposed to 

 deal very lightly with the subject, and to appear non-com- 

 mittal as to any very clearly defined position on the real 

 issue, which all recognized was whether we should stand 

 independently and firmly for the parkways, or climb the 

 neutral fence, trusting the settlement to the localities where 

 the contest with the traction interests was actively in pro- 

 gress. Commissioner Meeker and myself favored a dif- 

 ferent policy. It was my conviction and contention that 

 we should clearly and explicitly define our position, as a 

 duty both to our charter and the people of the whole county, 

 which duty I believed transcended any and alh local inter- 

 ests. Commissioner Peck was, so far as we could discover, 

 already on neutral ground. On November 12, before the 

 adoption of the resolution above quoted, requesting the 

 avenues' transfer, I proposed a substitute preamble and 

 resolution on the lines of my conviction just mentioned. 

 I believed a more explicit statement from the commission 

 to the freeholders and governing boards, alike due them 

 and desirable. May 15 previous (1896), in writing Com- 

 missioner Murphy regarding the general policy of the park- 

 ways, and regarding Elizabeth avenue, where the same 

 parkway-trolley question was involved, I said: "The mat- 

 ter of parkway approaches to our larger county parks is 

 so vitally important I believe we should now take the 

 initiative and clearly define our position to the local gov- 

 erning bodies and to the public. Having accepted the 

 trust to locate, acquire, and develop the parks, it appears 

 just as incumbent that we take the leadership in defining 

 the approaches. Without such approaches and connective 

 parkways from the centers of population, the county park 

 system will be most defective and alv^ays open to criticism." 



After referring to the plans of the first commission, that 

 ^^new parkway construction in the built-up portions of the 



