New-York tribune., 1884-03-09
WORKED BY 4 COMBINATION.:

General Egbert l.. Viele appeared the other day
before the Assembly Investigating Committee,
and his attention was directed to the resolution
resembling a previous resolution 20 trans
plant his menagere to the Vale north
of the Reservoir The reason assigned for this
back down was that certain interested property
owners failed to cooperate with the Park
Board in carrying out the scheme. Mr. Wales
in his cautious way had just declared that " the
wording of the resolution was perhaps
peculiar, and when General Niee's turn came
his explanation was that "a combination was
formed TO work the press, and it was done
efiectually." 1t would be difficult to get an
accurate photograph of the General in the
somewhat contradictory attitudes he tries to
assume in this matter. 1t is not easy to form
clear conception of the figure which gentle
man desires to cut when he asserts that he
pays no attention to newspaper reports but at
the same time abandOns as a public officer
definite policy which he has adopted for the
public good. as soon he finds that the press Is
worked by combination" But then the
president of the Park Board is not expected to
be consistent.
Now THE TRIBUNE has had good deal to say
past, and it proposes to say good deal more as
occasion seems to demand. The Park Board
has peculiar trust In other departments the
loss to the city from malcasance in office can be
set forth in definite sums Of money. The tax
payers lose so many dollars and cents by I'M
balanced bids, by collusiOn with surveyors, by
fraudulent contracts, by illegal fees. But no
one can estimate the money value of the parks;
no arithmetic can compute the loss when the
peoples pleasure ground is detaced by ignor-
ance. The danger TO Central Park has come
from the fact that the officials in charge OF 1t
have had no intelligent sympathy with lis
design and purpose. As one outrage after an
other has been attempted, THE TRIBUNE has
given warning to the people. 1t has gwen
reasons for the warming. 1t has assumed that
the Park is a consistent work of landscape art,
and has in every instance shown how the unity
of the work was threatened. 1t has treated
every case in broad way based on principles
of construction and maintenance Not a single
principle laid down has been ovcrthrown not
statement of fact denied, and not an argument
refutcd As the lights were turned on popular
Indignation was aroused, and the Commissioners
were driven TO abandon many schemes of park
mutllalOn
There is reason to believe that something has
been done in this way toward educating the
popular taste. OF course Commissioners who
consider the finest vale in tho park as nothing
but three-cOnered piece Of unimproved
land have learned nothing. Such cases are
hopeless. and it is natural that they should see
nothing in intelligent criticism except a personal
attack worked by combination" 1t may
be- well to remind these gentlemen who have
begun to destroy Riverside Drive, open new
road across Central Park for an omnibus line, and
build tavern on one Of the most commanding
cninences in the North Park that the same
combination of intelligent watchfulncss and
zeal for the preservation of the cty's pleasure
ground in its integrity will be likely to "work
the press into considerable activity as spring
opens and their plans develop.