TOY OFFICIALS 



245 



The demon of corporate greed was in the saddle, and the 

 mandate had gone forth that the franchise should be 

 granted. And so it was ; and the case in the courts went on. 



UNFAVORABLE PRESS COMMENTS. 



In the meanwhile the drift of public opinion was re- 

 flected in the press. On June 14, 1902, the i!^ewark ]N'ews, 

 editorially, said : "Certainly it was not in response to any 

 public sentiment that both the East Orange Council and the 

 Board of Freeholders granted a franchise in perpetuity and 

 upon the trolley company's own terms also, "It is now 

 pretty well assured, however, that the park commissioners 

 have practically abandoned the idea of embracing Central 

 avenue in the park system.^^ 



The Orange Chronicle said: "Had the Essex County 

 Board of Freeholders come out flatfooted before its meet- 

 ing, last Thursday afternoon, and told the members of the 

 J oint Committee on Parkways that it was not going to pay 

 the slightest attention, any way, to whatever arguments 

 might be brought against its concurrence in the action of 

 the East Orange City Council, it would have won at least a 

 reputation for honesty, if for nothing else. Happily the 

 municipal and county authorities are not the court of last 

 resort in this appeal." Individual criticism was even more 

 caustic, both in the public prints and in private conversa- 

 tion. 



The Park Board meeting of June 17 was devoted to 

 parkwaj's. The "counsel was requested to prepare a proper 

 petition to the municipalities requesting the care, custody, 

 and control of Park avenue, together with a statement of 

 our position." The following day this communication was 

 sent to the Board of Freeholders and the authorities of 

 Orange : 



"N'ewark, N. J., June 18, 1902. 

 "Gentlemen — The Essex County Park Commission, rec- 

 ognizing the ne^ of at least one parkway located in a cen- 

 tral part o£ the ?:-ounty, and running westerly from the city 

 of Xew^rk, re^.i^\Ys its application to be permitted to make 



