4 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
The First Coxinty ParK System— II 
It would be such an anomaly in public enterprise, 
under our common method of politics, to witness 
progress in the development of a park system so har- 
monious and so universally satisfactory as that which 
was described in our last issue under the first body 
of commissioners. It must have astonished the ap- 
pointive power. Judge Depue, for yielding to infiu- 
ence, which he undoubtedly did, his determinations 
as to appointments for the newly authorized commis- 
sion changed the current and introduced elements of 
partisan and corporate influence which gave excellent 
promise of future dissension. No adequate reason for 
a change appears, except a political one. 
The new commission was announced on April i8, 
1895, and consisted of Messrs. Peck, Meeker, Shep- 
hard, Kelsey and Murphy, and they organized on 
April 20. It was announced at the meeting that Judge 
Depue had expressed a wish that Mr. Peck should be 
president, Mr. Shephard, vice-president, and Mr. Mur- 
phy, treasurer. A discussion on the judge’s right to 
determine the organization naturally followed, but for 
reasons of policy it w'as allowed to stand. The com- 
position of the board, on the face of it, reversed the 
policy of the first board. 
Two serious questions soon presented themselves; 
The selection of counsel to the board and the policy 
to be pursued relative to the location and acquirement 
of the parks for the system. The nature of these ques- 
tions in connection with their relation to the financial 
issue lent an added importance to their solution. The 
composition of the new board with its strong infusion 
of political and corporate bias, undoubtedly created a 
well-founded distrust in the minds of the two members 
of the original board, continued in office. In the ap- 
pointment of Mr. Joseph L. Munn as counsel, consider- 
ing the gentleman’s record in connection with corpor- 
ate and other interests, it could not be said that his 
nomination was a judicious one. 
The question of policy in laying out the system 
caused a long discussion, carried over a number of 
meetings. The old board had emphatically declared 
to deal with the system as an entity ; the new board 
declared, by one of its new members, that its own 
judgment, independent of any previous determina- 
tion, should prevail, and no amount of argument had 
any effect on this political affirmation of a piecemeal 
policy. 
On May 20th, 1895, Messrs. N. F. Barrett and John 
Bogart received appointments to prepare the landscape 
plans, and about this time requisitions for funds were 
made upon the freeholders and promptly honored. In 
July, 1895,^ the Branch Brook reservoir property, the 
“From the new book on the Essex County Parks, entitled 
“The First County Park System.” Copyrighted 1905 by 
Fred’k W. Kelsey. Published by The J. S. Ogilvie Publish- 
ing Co., 57 Eose St., New York. In cloth. Half-tone illus- 
trations. $1.25 postpaid. Illustrations courtesy Newark 
Evening News. 
nucleus of the Central Park for Newark, a plot of 
about 60 acres, was transferred to the Park Commis- 
sion, and a plan for the general lines’ of Branch Brook 
Park were approved July 30. A little later a small 
park in the Eastern district of Newark was located. 
About this time also a general invitation was issued 
to all public spirited citizens suggesting donations of 
land for park purposes, and citing instances where such 
gifts had been of vast importance in establishing parks. 
In course of time a number of valuable gifts were re- 
ceived in response to this appeal. 
The difficulty of securing land so as to avoid the 
consequence of undue publicity, leading to extortion- 
ate demands, decided the board to appoint real estate 
experts as part of the working organization of the 
commission, and the result amply justified the action. 
The policy continued to be a source of discussion 
until, as explained in the following extract : “The 
suggestions of the court as to local ‘representation’ 
and the two new commissioners appointed to carry 
ROAD IN THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN RESERVATION, ESSEX J! 
COUNTY, N. J., PARKS. 
out that principle had borne fruit, and before the close 
of 1895 the section policy” (that of treating each park 
separately) “for the Essex County parks was well 
established and became the controlling principle, as it 
has, subject to minor modifications, since remained.” 
One of the most satisfactory efforts on the part oft 
the board was the first bond issue. After consultatioiH 
with bankers and financial men, including Mr. J. P. 
Morgan, whose advice was very beneficial, a bond^ 
issue of $2,500,000 at 3.65 per cent was made by pub- 
lic competition, and at a slight premium, the first mil- 
lion netting $1,008,400 which was received August 26, 
1895. This was distributed among responsible banks 
in the county to be ready for use as required, and the 
purchase of park lands was commenced. And here, of 
course, began the pressure of recognition, etc. The 
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