TOY OFFICIALS 



261 



to the enclosure of copies of the commission's letters of 

 June 18 and June 20, 1903, stated: 



"The freeholders, acting under Chapter 234 of the laws 

 of 1903, have transferred to this commission the care, ens- 

 tody and control of Park avenue tliroughont its entire 

 length. Our views concerning Park avenue are fully ex- 

 pressed in our letter of June 18, 1903, and concerning 

 Central avenue in our letter of May 20, 1903.'' 



To this communication the Mayor on Xovember 1-1 made 

 answer : 



"Gentlemen — I beg to acknowledge the receipt of yours 

 of the twelfth instant. Your letter does not give me all 

 that I requested. I would like to know whether the ordi- 

 nance in relation to Park and Central avenues, of which 

 you have a copy, is acceptable to you in its present shape." 



On Xovember 24, 1903, the commission replied that ^*the 

 meeting that day was the first held since the receipt" of his 

 letter, and then this followed : 



"The attitude of the Park Commission in regard to Park 

 and Central avenues is fully stated in the report of the 

 commission for 1901 on pages 15 et seq., as we have here- 

 tofore stated to your honor. 



"It is unnecessary to discuss the form of the ordinance 

 transmitted to us by your honor, as we observe by the public 

 prints that your honor has vetoed it." 



Mayor Stetson's veto was announced Xovember 23, the 

 day previous. The alleged reasons, as stated in the message, 

 were, as before, that the Common Council had "no author- 

 ity" to make the transfer ; that the replies of the Park Com- 

 mission to his inquiries had been "'evasive and unsatisfac- 

 tory"; that "it seems to me, so far as Central avenue is 

 concerned, the Park Commission does not particularly de- 

 sire the care, custody, and control of the thoroughf ore : and 

 that, in any event, it is not advisable to make a parkway 

 of Central avenue" on account of the heavy traffic there, etc. 



It required two-thirds, or eleven of the sixteen votes, of 

 the City Council members to override the veto. The veto 

 message came before the council for action December 7, 



