COXTEST FOE PARKWAYS COXTIXUED 217 



PARK board's attitude. 



Commissioner Franklin Murphy, in a published interview 

 ^sTovember 18, 1898, again sounded the keynote of uncer- 

 tainty as to the future attitude of the Park Commission in 

 the statement: "I feel as though we had gone as far as we 

 should go in this matter. We have no desire to take the 

 avenues if the municipality does not want us to have them. 

 It is not likely that we shall take any action in the matter 

 until the commission has progressed further with its work, 

 and until the avenues become valuable as connecting links 

 of the park system." 



The reports regarding Counsel Munn^s extreme friendli- 

 ness to the trolley interests, and efforts in opposition to the 

 parkways, notwithstanding the statements of the Park Com- 

 mission, were becoming more and more frequent. The com- 

 missioners were fully "aware of these reports current. In a 

 statement in the Orange Chronicle of Xovember 26, 1898, 

 Commissioner Bramhall, among other things, said : 



"Mr. Munn has been represented, or misrepresented, as 

 saying much that is not so in relation to the transfer of 

 Park and Central avenues. The truth is that the commis- 

 sion has spoken for itself directly and officially in this 

 matter." 



But the dissensions and differences were increased, in- 

 stead of being allayed or diminished. The fact that the 

 commission was sa34ng one thing, and that the sapngs of its 

 duly authorized and retained counsel were being construed 

 as meaning directly the opposite thing, gave the opposition 

 and the franchise lobbjdsts just the opportunity desired. 

 When, therefore, the Mayor^s veto message of the avenue 

 transfer ordinance came before the Orange City Council for 

 action on Xovember 21, 1898, it occasioned the knowing 

 ones no surprise that the veto was sustained and the ordi- 

 nance thus defeated by a tie vote of 7 to 7 in the council. 

 And this directly in face of the evident fact, as stated in 

 one of the leading papers at the time, "That the proposed 

 improvement was favored by more than nine-tenths of the 



