GOOD CITIZEXSHIP HELPLESS 235 



of these organizations had, in November or December, 1901, 

 adopted resolutions favoring the parkways, and authorizing 

 the appointment of special committees to co-operate with 

 other organizations having a similar object in view. The 

 following were the committees: From the New England 

 Society, E. 0. Stanley, Archer Brown, G-. H. Austen, Will- 

 iam J. Baer, H. G. Atwater, F. W. Baldwin, J. D. Everett, 

 C. W. Baldwin, Ira A. Kjp, Jr. ; from the Avenue Associa- 

 tion, F. W. Kelsey, D. S. Walton, F. H. Scott, J. F. Free- 

 man, H. T. Ambrose, G. F. Seward, W. H. Baker, H. H. 

 Ward; from the Town Improvement Society, H. H. Hall, 

 G. E. Howe, Hugh Lamb, Alden Freeman, J. S. Richards. 

 There were but few changes made in the committee other 

 than the loss by death two or three years later of Archer 

 Brown, Henry G. Atwater, John S. Richards, and Hugh 

 Lamb. In March, 1904:, W. H. Burges, G. W. Fortmeyer, 

 B. F. Jones, A. C. Smith and T. A. Davis were added to the 

 New England Society^s committee. 



From the time of its organization in 1901, the joint com- 

 mittee took an active and earnest interest in parkway af- 

 fairs. Its direct purposes were to secure, if possible, the 

 preservation of the parkways. It favored the lines of trolley 

 extension west to the Orange Mountain, but contended that 

 the routes should be located on parallel streets or through 

 private property, if need be, outside the parkways. The 

 committee was optimistic. It held, not only that a commis- 

 sion created by law with unusual powers and then solely 

 entrusted with the expenditure of $4,000,000 of public 

 funds, should have the ability for leadership and decisiA^e 

 action rec[uisite with the great resource at its command ; but 

 also that such a board would or should respond to any co- 

 operative effort toward completing the park system from 

 an organization of the probity and standing of the commit- 

 tee. In conformity with this view the committee, early in 

 March, 1902, wrote the commission: 



"For some time past reports have been current through 

 the Oranges that your board was indifferent to the present 

 parkway situation and to the use of Central avenue as the 



