The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-06-11

THE DARK LANTERN CONSPIRACY ON THE
CENTRAL PARk.-Mayor Wood is taking pains
to rectify all apprehensions in regard TO the
Central Park, even sooner than we anticipated.
On Monday afternoon the Park Commissioners
met at their rooms to decide on the plans to be
adopted for the Establishment of the Park;
their meeting was private, no reporters being
allowed admission. There appears to be very
little reason to doubt that the idea of secresy
originated with the Mayor, who learned it, no
doubt, when he was q Know Nothing, before he
became q democrat; and now two questions
arise:-What is the object of keeping the park
business secret? Can the public benefit be
furthered by such course?
All experience is very sadly at fault If there
can be any other motive for secresy in this
matter besides the desire to use the Park fund
for improper and political purposes. The
business before the secret meeting was the &C.
lection Of a plan for the establishment of the
Park; it is understood that several were laid
be fore the Commissioners What harm could
be done by letting the public see what these
plans were? Why not give them chance to
say which they would like best? II the Park
were in Austria or Russia, one could under
stand the adoption Of the secret councils; it
suflices in those countries for the public to be
made acquainted with the decision of the sove-
reign, when that decision has been rightly
considered and definitely settled. But
Mr.. Fernando Wood is not yet Emperor
of New York, whatever might be inferred from
his messages and his acts. It strikes US that
this off hand method of snobbing the public,
and showing reporters the door, is altogether
too much after the fashion of the circumlocu.
ton office, and Mayor Wood an inferior sort
Of Tite Barnacle.
The point of the whole matter is simply
this---Here is park on which the public Of
this city will spend before they are done with
it from Elk to eight millions of dollars, most Of
which will be expended in the payment of Ia
Dor. We all know that it has been usual, in
past time, for politicians to use the money con-
fded to them for expenditure in the interest OF
their party; nor have the democrats been in
any way backward to act on this principle.
With this experience, it ought to be the bust
ness of the public to surround the administra.
ton OF the Park fund with as many safeguards
as possible; to throw daylight upon every
movement of the administrators aud to render
it as difficult as possible for them to malverse
or misuse the sum left in their hands.
They cannot do this their control over the
expenditure of their own money is entirely
frustrated-if Mayor Wood is allowed to keep
the arrangements for the disposal of the mo-
ney from the public eye. The talk about the
Commissioners being men OF various parties is
all stuff 1t is understood that one or two
literary men and others have been invited to act
as Commissioners; but any one can see that
they will be mere ornamental appendages to
the machine. The only two men who willhav
the disposal Of the money are Fernando Wood
and his partner, the late Corporation Counsel;
if the literary gentlemen ask questions, or make
themselves troublesome, they will be shown
the door, for they have no rights, and only hold
office during the pleasure Of the Mayor. Aud
considering the antecedents of Fernando Wood,
the imbecility Of his government, and the
disgraceful manner in which city matters
has gone from bad to worse under his admi-
nistration-w he forsooth, was carrying
out for himself an imaginary political career
We think it most unsafe and dangerous expe-
riment for the public to entrust him with the
expenditure Of from six 10 eight millions OF
money, without seeing something Of the man
ner in which it is to be laid out.