252 



FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM 



there was no legal obstacle in the way of the avenues' 

 transfer. 



NEW COJ^VERTS. 



Six members of the Orange City Council were evidently 

 converted to the Stetson-Munn railroad side of the ques- 

 tion. When the Mayor^s veto came up for action before the 

 council on December 15, 1902, five weeks after its unani- 

 mous passage there, these six new converts ( ?) voted the 

 other way, and in support of the veto. And thus, for the 

 third time, the parkway ordinance was killed in the house of 

 its supposed friends. At once there were the usual charges 

 and recriminations. Under the eye of public scorn" was 

 the caption of a drastic editorial in one of the leading papers 

 in referring to the action of these six councilmen, who had 

 shifted their votes; and ^'^not a single soul of the group 

 could or would explain his astounding action," was the w^ay 

 the article went on. And "the insidious influence of the 

 trolley interests may, for a time, prevail, but we do not be- 

 lieve that those who have lent themselves to this scheme of 

 interference, will, in the end, have to give away to a mercen- 

 ary corporation a franchise for that which is the people's 

 right,'' was the conclusion. 



The News of December 17, said, editorially: "It is won- 

 derful the number of obstacles that have been found to de- 

 lay the transfer of these avenues to the Park Board. In 

 this respect it almost equals the ser^dce of the local traction 

 company." 



December 9, 1902, I wrote the Park Commission as 

 follows : 



"The time has come for plain speaking and prompt ac- 

 tion unless the commission wish to assume the task of car- 

 rying a load which will now rapidly become a staggering 

 burden, I think, in the minds of all fair-minded men, cer- 

 tainly of the men well-informed on park matters throughout 

 the Oranges. 



"I want to say to you, in all kindness and with all ear- 

 nestness, that the lines are now drawn, and the Park Com- 



