USA > New Jersey > Essex County > The first county park system : a complete history of the inception and development of the Essex County parks of New Jersey > Part 2
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In all other respects than the one limiting the time for which the commission was to be appointed, the bill was in strict accord with the plan as above outlined, and was favorably reported at the meeting of the joint committee, held at the Board of Trade rooms, Newark, the afternoon of April 25, 1894. The proposed bill was there, as drawn and without amendment, unanimously approved, and the same afternoon a copy of the bill was transmitted to Sen- ator Ketcham at Trenton for introduction into the Legis- lature. The bill was accompanied by the following letter :
"We believe this bill will meet with the unanimous ap- proval of substantially the whole county. If in your judg- ment the presence of representatives of our organizations will in any way tend to expedite the passage of the bill,
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FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM
kindly advise us by wire and we will respond promptly. A' message to Frank W. Child, secretary, Orange, will reach us directly."
This letter was signed by the members of the Newark and Orange committees then present at the meeting.
Under the same date, April 25, 1894, a letter was sent to Senator Ketcham from the chairmen of the two committees, explaining that "the bill had been prepared by the joint committee on public parks of the board of trade of Newark and the Oranges ;" that "it is merely the first step designed to lead to a general plan which may command public ap- proval and accomplish great results with the aid of future legislation."
"The expenditure," the letter stated, "is limited to a small sum and the commissioners are to act without com- pensation. We earnestly hope that the bill may be promptly passed, so that the work of the commission may be well advanced during the coming summer."
"After much discussion and consideration of the sub- ject," continued the letter, "we are convinced that this simple, initial step toward a great public improvement will command the general approval of the citizens of Essex County. It will not be necessary for Hudson County to adopt the plan, and, therefore, it should meet with no oppo- sition in that quarter."
The bill as sent to Senator Ketcham was promptly intro- duced by him the following day, April 26, and then made its appearance as "Senate Bill No. 205." It was promptly referred to, and soon afterward reported by, the Committee on Municipal Corporations, and passed without obstruction or hardly a dissenting vote in the Senate. A like result followed in the passage of the bill in the Assembly, and on the eighth of May, within two weeks after the measure had reached the Legislature, it was approved by Governor Werts. As a result, the bill, exactly as prepared by the joint com- mittee, had in this short time thus become "Chapter CLVI" of the Laws of 1894.
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PLAN FOR ESSEX COUNTY PARKS
The provisions of this law, providing for a temporary commission, scarcely call for extended reference here. In brief, the presiding justice of the Supreme Court was authorized to appoint a commission of five persons for the term of two years, to "consider the advisability of laying out ample open spaces for the use of the public * in such county," with "authority to make maps and plans of such spaces and to collect such other information in relation thereto as the said board may deem expedient ;" and "as soon as conveniently may be," to "make a report in writing of a comprehensive plan for laying out, acquir- ing and maintaining such open spaces."
The commission was also authorized to employ assistants, and to be reimbursed for actual traveling expenses incurred "in the discharge of their duties." The total expenditures were limited to $10,000, the payment to be provided for by the Board of Freeholders* in the usual manner.
The attitude of the public at the time of the approval of the bill had continued to grow more and more favorable. The suggestion that those identified with the enterprise had merely adapted the scheme of the metropolitan park system of Massachusetts, entirely overlooked the fact that it was merely the preliminary stages of that undertaking-the initial legislation for the first commission-which had been, in a general way, followed. The Orange committee had in the early part of that year, 1894, gone quite fully into the various phases of many of the larger park systems. It was found that the Metropolitan Park plan, embracing, as it at that time did, thirty-nine separate municipalities, and vari- vous counties about Boston, and having an entirely new and untried system of financing, was wholly unsuited to the needs of Essex County. Indeed, we had all along under- stood that, under the New Jersey Constitution, such a dis- trict as had been mapped out and included in the Metropoli- tan Parks area could not be legally laid out or established here; and that this State would not be likely, even if it
*Board of Chosen Freeholders is the official title of the county *governing body's in New Jersey,
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could, to advance its credit to the various municipalities for millions of dollars, as had been done in Massachusetts, relying, as there, upon a future apportionment or assess- ment upon the cities and towns within the district for final reimbursements.
DIFFERENT PLANS IN MANY PLACES.
It was, therefore, recognized at the outset of the discus- sión that only the general form of the preliminary legisla- tion in Massachusetts could be in any way advantageously used here. It had also been recognized that the movement for larger parks or park systems had taken different forms in nearly every city. New York had in 1888 expended mil- lions of dollars in adding nearly 4,000 acres of new park lands, extending, with the great connecting parkways, from Van Cortland Park on the Hudson, to the beautiful Pel- ham Bay Park on Long Island Sound-all embraced in what was soon afterwards known as the park system of the Bronx.
In and about London the County Councils had at that time located and acquired, as had the authorities of Paris, vast tracts of lands for park uses, but each was then lack- ing, as in most other European and American urban com- munities, in any concerted action or comprehensive con- nective park system such as, I believe, was first adopted in this country in Detroit, and as was now deemed desirable for Essex County.
It was accordingly understood that the favorable legis- lation that had just then been so promptly obtained in our own Legislature, would not only enable the work of acquir- ing and developing a park system here to go readily and rapidly forward, but, under the law, a commission, "se- lected for fitness," would be enabled to adopt the best features of all the park systems, and by holding the enter- prise on the lines so cordially approved by the Legislature, the press and the people, would retain public confidence and
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PLAN FOR ESSEX COUNTY PARKS
support, to the lasting benefit of the whole county and State.
Thus was the bark of the first county park enterprise safely launched, in smooth water, under fair skies, without a reef or ripple in view.
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CHAPTER II.
THE FIRST COMMISSION.
NOT many days after the enactment of the park law, as stated in the preceding chapter, I chanced one morning in New York to meet Senator Ketcham, and as we walked together down lower Broadway, after exchanging some con- gratulatory remarks over the success of the park bill in the Legislature, he said to me that he had just seen Judge Depue, and that he understood the appointment of the five commissioners was soon to be made. He then conveyed to me the message, which he said the judge had requested him to give to me, viz., that he (the judge) desired to see me with Cyrus Peck before the appointments were made. He said that he had not asked, and did not know, what object the judge had in mind.
When I learned, a day or two later, that Mr. Peck had not received any invitation for the conference direct, I wrote to Judge Depue, May 21, 1894, as follows :
"Senator Ketcham has kindly conveyed to Mr. Cyrus Peck and myself your request for further information on park matters and the suggestion that we meet you in con- ference. Reciprocating the confidence expressed, it will give us pleasure to meet you at such time and place as most agrecable for you to make the appointment."
The following was the response :
"11th June, '94.
"My Dear Sir-I will be glad to see you and Mr. Peck at the courthouse on Saturday morning, next, at 10 A. M.
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BROOKSIDE WALK, BRANCH BROOK PARK.
-
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THE FIRST COMMISSION
Please bring copy of park bill with you. I will ask you to notify Mr. Peck of the appointment.
"I am now going to Trenton every day to Supreme Court, being home only in the evenings. Hope the time for the meeting will be satisfactory.
"Very truly yours,
"DAVID A. DEPUE.
"Fred. W. Kelsey, Esq."
JOINT COMMITTEE ACTS.
Before this letter was written, a meeting of the joint com- mittee on parks was held at the Newark Board of Trade rooms on the afternoon of June 6. At this meeting resolu- tions were adopted, "expressing the sense of the meeting that a letter be sent Judge Depue requesting at as early a date as agreeable the appointment of the commission, as provided by recent act of the Legislature;" Also, that
"The chairman of the Newark and Orange committees be requested to present in person to Judge Depue a certi- fied copy of the act, together with the letter signed by the full membership of each committee."
In accordance with these resolutions, the letter was then prepared and was as follows :
"Newark, June 6, 1894.
"Hon. David A. Depue, Justice of the Supreme Court.
"Dear Sir-We, the undersigned members of the commit- tees on public parks of the boards of trade of Newark and Orange, who have been active in preparing the bill for the appointment of boards of county commissioners, a certified copy of which accompanies this letter, beg to request that you may, at as early a date as agreeable, appoint the com- mission as provided in said act. We have further resolved that this letter and copy of this act be presented to your honor by the chairmen of our respective committees.
"CYRUS PECK, chairman Newark committee.
"FRED. W. KELSEY, chairman Orange committee.
"S. J. Meeker, Edward Schickhaus, J. H. Baldwin,
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FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM
James E. Fleming, William A. Ure, president Newark Board of Trade; James S. Holmes, president Board of Trade of the Oranges ; F. W. Child, A. Q. Keasbey."
JUDGE NAMES COMMISSIONERS.
The judge was advised of this action the following day, June 7, but the letter and copy of the act were retained to present to him "in person," as called for in the resolu- tion of the committee and as requested in his note of June 11, for an appointment.
Judge Depue received us in his private room at the court- house on the morning of June 18, according to appoint- ment. He said :
"Gentlemen, I sent for you because I desire to consult with you as to the appointment of the fifth commissioner. Four of the appointees I have already decided upon. I have in mind the names of several men outside of Newark whom I think well of or who have been recommended to me as the other commissioner, but I have thought I should like to talk with you before making a further decision.
"First," he went on, "I propose to appoint my old friend, Edward Jackson, of Belleville. You know him, do you not?
"Well," he continued, when we had answered him in the negative, "I'll vouch for Ed. Jackson"-which was by com- mon consent acceptably received ; and he then said: "I am going to appoint you, Mr. Peck, and Mr. Meeker, of the Board of Trade committee, from Newark, and you, Mr. Kelsey, from Orange. This leaves the fifth member from the county at large, outside of Newark, yet to be selected."
The judge then mentioned the names of five men whom he had in mind for the place-two from Montclair, two from South Orange, and one from Orange. My own ap- pointment, he said, precluded the consideration of the other resident of Orange. The other names were then gone over. Not one of them had been favorably considered by the mem- bers of the joint committee who had given the personnel of the proposed commission earnest thought. When asked
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THE FIRST COMMISSION
our opinion, I thus stated to the judge, and explained why we believed there were others available who would better fill the requirements of the position. I explained that, in the initial stages of this large undertaking, we believed it of the utmost importance, not only that the members of the com- mission should possess the requisite qualifications as to competency and fitness, but also that the best results would obtain in a small board, as would be the new commission, if men were selected for congenial tastes and similar ideas of public duty.
In response to the inquiry as to whom we would suggest, two names were mentioned. One, the judge explained, he could not for local reasons consider. The other was that of George W. Bramhall. After listening to the reasons given for Mr. Bramhall's appointment as the fifth commissioner, the judge replied :
"Well, I do not know Mr. Bramhall. I never met him, but, from what has been said, I am willing to appoint him."
PARK COMMISSIONERS ANNOUNCED.
He then, from a directory on his desk, made a note of the name. Directly after this incident Mr. Peck and I with- drew. The judge came immediately into court and an- nounced the names of the commissioners as follows: Ed- win W. Jackson, of Belleville; Cyrus Peck and Stephen J. Meeker, of Newark; Frederick W. Kelsey, of Orange; and George W. Bramhall, of South Orange. His remarks in the court were brief. After referring to the application from the Board of Trade committee for the appointment of the commission and to the act authorizing the appointment, he then named the commissioners as stated in the conference, and said :
"I propose this morning to name the individuals, leaving the actual appointment until I understand whether they are willing to serve. There seems to be a great public interest in the subject pro and con, and mainly in favor of it. I have received a great many letters of advice and I may say that they governed me somewhat in the selection. The com-
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FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM
missioners, while appointed, are not authorized to execute the work. Their duties are tentative, leaving the Legisla- ture to execute the carrying out of the scheme as future legislation may provide.
"I think it is my duty to appoint men who are so favor- able to this enterprise and so desirous that it should be executed that they will be judicious enough to make such recommendations as will be approved by the public, so that the work will finally be accomplished. If I had another commissioner to appoint, I could easily find another to fill the place.
"The act provides that the commission employ persons, and that it may spend a sum not exceeding $10,000, I think. I will appoint the five men named next Saturday, unless they should decline to serve."
Judge Depue's manner and conversation during the con- ference, and his remarks in open court, were indicative of his earnest approval of the new law, of the objects sought, and of the legal machinery provided to those ends. Con- sidering that "fitness" for the position had already become the corner-stone of the commission's structure, it was quite unexpected to hear him first speak of appointing his "old friend," without expressing any opinion as to whether he himself believed in the appointment for reasons of especial qualifications for the office. But there could be no reason- able doubt that the judge shared in the current sentiment favorable to the parks. It was also plain that he was desir- ous of appointing a commission that would be generally ac- ceptable, and that up to that time no pressure of political of other scheming influences had been active in shaping either his thought or determination in fulfilling to the best of his ability the trust reposed in him as the sole appointing power in naming the commission.
The public response to the announcement of appointment of the new commission was as cordial as it was generous. Both editorially and in the news columns, all the leading papers within-and some without-the county were em- phatic in their commendation of the project, and referred
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THE FIRST COMMISSION
favorably to those selected to perform the preliminary work. The Newark News editorially, on June 18, 1894, ac- credited Judge Depue with having "wisely sought to give every locality proper representation."
"Not in this country, if in the world," said the News at that time, "is there another place where the eye can look upon the dwelling places of so many people as may be seen on a clear day from Eagle Rock and other good points of observation on the Orange Mountain."
"The ease with which the park bill passed the House, Senate, and Governor is proof of the wisdom and popularity of the measure," is the way The Daily Advertiser put it in an editorial of June 19; following an editorial of the day previous referring in a complimentary way to the per- sonnel of the commission and expressing confidence that "these men will do their work faithfully and well."
At the same time the commissioners were each asked if they intended to accept the appointment and for their views for publication. Mr. Bramhall said :
"There should be a series of parks and parkways so de- signed that at least a part of them could be reached by walk- ing. Within the county there are many excel- lent locations for parks." One of the other commissioners referred to "public parks as a common possession in which the poor and the rich share, and share alike."
On June 23, 1894, Judge Depue made the formal an- nouncement of the commission's appointment in a brief statement, again referring to the action of the Board of Trade committees, and to the act authorizing the appoint- ment ; and renaming "the commissioners-Messrs. Jackson, Peck, Kelsey, Meeker and Bramhall-to be known as the Essex County Park Commission, to hold office for the term designated in the act, and to execute all the powers, and perform all the duties, mentioned in said act."
FAVORABLE CONDITIONS.
The reader may now readily appreciate the favorable con- ditions under which the first park commission began the discharge of its duty on the organization of the board that
.
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FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM
same afternoon-June 23, 1894. It was with interest and enthusiasm that each of the commissioners took up the work entrusted to him. A position and condition of trust had been imposed and accepted, with the sincere desire, I believe shared in by all, to be loyal to that trust and the obligations incurred.
With the prevalent sentiment of confidence that had been extended by the public, by the Legislature, by the press and by the court, what greater incentive could be placed before a body of men than was thus placed immediately be- fore the commission at that time? The members soon found that in the work before them they were both officially and personally congenial, and that differences in conviction were soon moulded into harmonious action for a common purpose. Such was the fact; and as I now cast a reflective view back to the efforts and results attained by that board, it occasions in my mind less surprise than ever before that this preliminary commission should have accomplished in about half a year that which it was authorized to occupy two years in doing, and that less than one-half of the avail- able appropriation of $10,000 had been expended.
The organization of the board took place at the Board of Trade rooms, Newark. In talking with Mr. Peck prior to the board meeting, he had suggested that, as I had formu- lated the plan that had proven so acceptable, I should be the first president, and I was chosen temporary chairman.
The judge later sent word by his friend, Commissioner Jackson, that he desired Mr. Peck should be president. No reasons were stated. The commission was not a com- mittee for organization under parliamentary rules, but a legally constituted body, with clearly defined duties and powers, and presumably possessing inherently the unques- tionable right of providing for its own organization. As, however, Mr. Peck resided in Newark, which city repre- sented the largest population in the county, we acquiesced. Nevertheless, we did not recognize the judge's right to in- terfere. I was then elected vice-president and Mr. Jackson was agreed upon as temporary secretary.
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THE FIRST COMMISSION
It was then agreed to employ a secretary ; various com- mittees, on by-laws, rooms, printing, etc., were selected ; and the actual work of the board thus began. It was decided to have regular monthly meetings, and more frequently, as cir- cumstances required. The requirements soon called for meetings once a week, or even more often-a policy and condition that was followed to the close of the work of the commission.
At the meeting of June 28, a series of resolutions were received from the "East Orange Park Avenue Protective Association" expressing "its approbation" of the prompt ap- pointment of the commission, favoring additional legisla- tion, and suggesting that the "care of certain streets and avenues leading to and through such park or parks" be placed in the hands of the new board. The resolutions also requested "the active co-operation of the said Park Com- mission in our efforts to preserve Park avenue for the pur- poses above described."
The petition was accompanied by a lengthy communica- tion favoring "a small park or parks within the limits of each of our large cities or elsewhere in the vicinity ;" a "large park or a chain of parks on or over the Orange Mountain ;" and suitable approaches to the parks, "re- served as carriageways, free from trolley cars, overhead wires and anything that would detract from the character of these approaches as first-class residence streets." No reference was made to Central avenue, which was ere long to become the storm center of one of the most stubbornly fought contests between corporate greed and the forces that make for civic betterment that have yet occurred in this country.
As the commission had not at this time fairly completed its organization, and had not even taken up the subject of the proposed park locations, the communications were read and received without action.
The work of the board now went rapidly forward. Com- missioner Meeker was elected treasurer. A large number of applications were received for the position of secretary. A
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FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM
committee of the board, after passing upon the various ap- plicants, recommended Alonzo Church-the present secre- tary-and he was appointed at the meeting of July 12, 1894.
One of the first matters looking to results that was de- cided by the commission, was as to the desirability of get- ting in touch with the various governing bodies of the county. It was felt that, not only was each locality entitled to be heard regarding its preference or recommendations, but that the board would be strengthened, and in many ways assisted, by calling out the wishes and suggestions from various parts of the county. It was agreed that the most feasible and effectual way of doing this would be through a communication addressed directly to each of the local au- thorities and associations interested in municipal improve- ment. This plan was agreed upon, and on June 28, I was, by resolution of the board, requested to prepare a letter from the commission on the lines indicated. After referring to the powers conferred by the Park act, and to Judge Depue's selection of the commissioners, "two from Newark, one from Belleville, one from Orange, and one from South Orange," the letter was as follows :
THE COMMISSION'S LETTER.
"The outlining of a plan that will result in the greatest good to the greatest number, by the most direct methods and at the least cost, necessitates wide research, and the fullest suggestions as to localities and their availability. To these ends, and in the spirit indicated by the law, and the court, we invite your co-operation in according fair consideration to every portion of the district.
"That the prompt location and acquirement of a compre- hensive system of parks in this county is desirable, if not imperative, for the health and prosperity of the people, ap- pears to be generally admitted. Indeed, that this commun- ity is belated in this important public improvement is quite too apparent.
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THE FIRST COMMISSION
"The experience of other places demonstrates conclusively that parks are the most appreciated where most liberally provided. The more the public realize their advantage to health, to property-to say nothing of enjoyment-the more eager all classes are for park extensions and new pleasure grounds.
"With all the millions New York had previously ex- pended for park lands and improvements, only a few years ago large areas of additional park lands were secured at an expense of some $9,000,000 or $10,000,000, and that munic- ipality has again this year undertakings for additional parks at an authorized expenditure of several millions more.
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