PARK AND CEMETERY 
471 
branches and received the Governor’s’ signature. The 
law authorized the presiding justice of the Supreme 
Court to appoint a commission of five persons for tiie 
term of two years, to consider the question on its mer- 
its, to prepare maps, plans, etc., to collect expedient 
information and make a report on a comprehensive 
plan for laying out, acquiring and maintaining the park 
areas. Expenditures were limited to $10,000, to be 
provided by the Board of Freeholders, the commission- 
ers to be reimbursed for actual traveling expenses 
while discharging their duties. 
The sailing for a short time was very smooth for 
the active park builders while arranging the prelimina- 
ries and awaiting the appointment of the commission 
by the Supreme Court judge. Here the first stumbling 
block, but not a serious one, was met : Judge Depue 
had determined upon certain nominations, all of which 
did not meet the prompt approval of those interested 
in ideal park work and non-partisan control. The ques- 
tion of the “fitness” of certain members was a question. 
The first commissioners under the law, and to be known 
as the Essex County Park Commission, were ; Messrs. 
Jackson, Peck, Kelsey, Meeker and Bramhall. The or- 
ganization of the board took place on the afternoon of 
June 23, 1894, and everything promised an enthu- 
siastic and active campaign for the best results, with 
all outside interests unanimous in support of the board. 
The judge, however, was again heard from at the or- 
ganization of the board in his expression of a desire 
that Mr. Peck should be president, in which the board 
acquiesced, but without recognizing the judge’s' right 
to interfere. Mr. Kelsey was elected vice-president, 
Mr. Jackson was agreed upon as temporary secretary, 
and Mr. Meeker was made treasurer. 
One of the first acts of the board was to get in 
touch with the various governing bodies of the county, 
to learn their needs and recommendations, to secure 
information as to possible lands suitable for park pur- 
poses, and the share of the burden of cost likely to be 
assumed by them. This brought a very large amount 
of useful information and of course much that was 
of no practicable value whatever. In the meantime the 
commission was not idle and a vast amount of informa- 
tion and experience was garnered. A resolution was 
adopted providing that the meetings of “the Commis- 
sion be in executive session, and that the secretary fur- 
nish a report to the press after each meeting.” This 
resolution was miainly intended to forestall efforts to 
boom land values upon decisions of the commission 
regarding location. 
By early September of 1894 the commission had 
looked over a number of available sites, giving par- 
ticular study to such as promised well, and by this 
time the general plan of the system was gradually 
being evolved. Expert advice was now, however, 
needed, and arrangements were made with five well 
known landscape architects who were to “prepare 
plans, and act in the capacity of ‘park-making ad- 
