246 



FIRST COUXTY PARK SYSTEM 



the avenue known as Park avenue into a parkway. 



^^This commission can, with the funds likely to be at its 

 disposal for maintenance purposes, undertake the care of 

 Park avenue, at least to the extent that it is cared for by the 

 Board of Freeholders, and if the Park Commission shall, in 

 the future, be provided with further funds, it will undertake 

 to develop Park avenue for parkway purposes in a manner 

 more commensurate with such purposes. 

 "Very respectfully, 



"The Essex County Park Commission"/' 



As now read between the lines and measured at this dis- 

 tance of time, this communication seems to indicate clearly 

 enough that the commission had quietly succumbed to the 

 persuasive wiles of the traction S3'ndicate and had, as pre- 

 dicted, "practically abandoned'^ Central avenue. Such re- 

 ports were given wide publicity and were greatly acceler- 

 ated by the statements of the trolley agents and attorneys. 

 These reports were still more prejudicial to the commission. 

 This latter request, for Park avenue only, contrasted with 

 the board's prior statement of April 3, as quoted in the 

 preceding chapter, was one of the alleged reasons. 



The Chronicle of June 23, 1902, referred to the Park 

 avenue request as "a surprising letter," and asked the Park 

 Board for an explanation, adding: "A^Tiy has it been left 

 to citizens to contend for the parkways ? has been a question 

 heard on every side with no satisfactory answer. The people 

 gave their confidence, their support and vast appropriations 

 of money, expecting the commission to be faithful to the 

 trust reposed in it and carry out its own plans for the two 

 connecting parkways free from political manipulation. 

 T\Tiile their words have been smooth, the best friends of the 

 parks and of the commissioners have found it difficult to 

 explain their action." 



The Journal concluded that "the application of the Park 

 Commission for permission to improve Park avenue as a 

 parkway, is a pretty thorough justification of the position 

 taken by The Journal that the Essex County Park Conunis- 



