New-York tribune., 1885-03-24
FOR THE MAYORS PARK BILL.
LARGE MEETING IN CHICKERING HALL.
.,,cNa SPEECHES BY A. s. HEWITT, Mr. GhAch'
T. K ANDERSON AND OTHERS.

r. K ANDERSON AND OTHERS.
m. meeting at Chickering Hall last evening,
- q, s EXPRESSION TO the dissatisfaction felt at the
gsaton of last year providing for taking about zooo
acres of land in westcheser County Tor PARK pnPo''
mas foreibe in point OF numbers and fair expression Oh
,,on ~ n good part OF the taxpayng community on
ths spbeat The body of the hall was filed, whhe many
s,ood nm in the outer asles. aud the galiery was
nearly filed. The speeches were ".on''.y
listened to- and the points maoe W w
ayous speakers were heartily appauded Mayor 0raco
received hearty welcome, anu Mo 'ie''
were warmly applauded
Among the yice-chairmen many Of whom were present.
were oswald ottendorfer George Jones, E. L. GodSin,
Charles A. Dana, Hamilton Fish, f. B. WINSTON husoN
Sage Smith Ety. jr., Edward s.Jafray' Dahlel iio
mann Henry Hilton A. r. Emo, William b. DnSnot0'
levi NJ Bates, Edward Cooper, j. Perpon' Morean'
xrm,a cola John p Townsend William Remsen'
pohert Coelet Ropert Il. Roosevelt, Ogoeh uoeleV'
Abra,n & Hewitt John II. Sherwood, Eugene hel''
Robert B. Minturn, Henry L. Hoguet' Dc Apnei ,P -,
II X Tburber, j. Henry Harper William IL. "epo' oon
b. Cornell. b. T. Babbitt Salem H. Wsles "iiii" m ~ 49,
way Samuel Sloan, Henry BerGh, Howard W. ooaVes'
Tbomas T. Feitner, Richard Arnold, A. d. Juilliaru,
Jeremiah Deyelin Gerard Beekman, James w BeeKnan
william H. DeForrest Rutherford X stuyvesahl Eras
tus Brooks, Henry W. T. Mali F. b. Thuroer' ohareS d
Nebrbas william Laimbeer william Dai-
ling, J. N. Higgins, Edward H. Allluomn iS
Francis A. Palmer Henry Z. Peliew' ana
Gallatin The secretaries includeo
Robert Ray Hamilton, II. b. Whyland freoerick hooo
welt Daniel s. MeElrOy, j. Edwin Houghton' James a.
peering Colonel Garrett Nage, f. A. HdabocR, "iluan
ID Murphy John n Hayward. Charles h. Appeoy' 0onn
Hooper H. W. Becher, B. +. Romains' Jr' oieiSinunu
Never. CyriIe Careau, Charles W. lden' George f.
CAN'T John p Huggins, Theodore p Hyatt ana MOTIFS
b. Bronner. ,,,.u,,
The committee of arrangements consisted OF bipruEo
T. Gerry chairman Cyrus Clark jenkins ' an Schach'
H. X Thnrber Lewis May, James c. Cooley Charies D.
pna 1r ii,
Derby. Leopold Friedman, Dwight H. olmstead' d.
John r. Nagle Edward A. Morrison, Henry X BeeKman'
John d. Crimmins, Z. G. stedman and James 1aia'ln
At the rear of the stage large oolored map CIV
ing in outline the city proper, the annexed uS'o'
norton of Westchester County and the lands laI IL Is
TO take for parks Elbrdge T. Gerry called tne
meeting TO He said that the question 10 DC
cred WAS whether il advisable to Incur at the pres
ont time an expenditure of from SSOOOOO0 10 $Zoooo
600 TO procure land for park purposes for whch here
was now no need and would not be for many years 10
The Mayor had invited the attention of the tax
payers to this The question was not po'c"
one II simpy touched the pockets OF all the people
He closed by moving James a. Roosevelt be chosen
chairman. This carried unanimously MT, hoose-
welt made short, phy speech III response IN whch h
bry explained the Objectionable provisions OF the Dill
as passed, and how they would DC reu'oNeu W '0 P
posed amendments.
II Ellery Anderson next made q vigorous argument IN
favor OF the amendments He said that they voiced the
demand city that the parks OF NeWl orK shou oe
restricted to the City and County of New-fork ana tha
eome simple and practical provisions should be mace
whereby the City OF NewYork could pay for the lands
when it took them. He objected TO tne
bill as passed on the score OF Is eAtla'"s"'oo-
II would cripple credit Of the city II would resict
its mower to spend money for other improvements anu
reouirements OF which the city stood in much more
urgent need-addtOna schools street repairs DOCK I'M
movements &C. He wanted the adjoining land assessed
20 helm nav for the new parks. he hinted that the bill
had been pushed by land spectators and that IN west
chester County in the region Of the proposed
-, ,ond had gone I'M from two and
even more. "They have quietly gone 10 hlo.ly nc ne
said and have passed this Dill which Vastly ntrdaSe d
your first ante you will hnd that they nave Drawn
good card and intend to maize you se of convert
ing the WesShefer este Srt 70 mnai bs Drained" he said
That means that in order to drain their lands tney WI"
drain your pockets" go
Mayor Grace then forward and was received with
hearty applause. He spoke as follows:
when took Office on the Ist of January lound thht
the New Parks act of 1884 which by mandate ol th the
the Legislature imposed upon the city o 1, % IN
taxing of nearly 1000 acres OF land about one one hs IN
Westehester County and one hall IN New rytiny
,nynIve an expenditure which, on careful sCIutny'
estimated would amount to not less than @ hoot
$4,000 900 naturally lily ie had several conferences
with the Controller the Corporation it ei,are
snS WE came to the following cOnelnsions m ct
FrstThere vas n" power % ns to issue bonds Of
the ~, Sr ,iarks The constitutional amendment has
seeondTbsre was no contract created by the Act OF
1881 which made city liable for the PARK props[es
nSt tle General Term Of the Supreme Court hau con
fTmod the report Of the commissioners appohteo Aor
TiTdmIRe taking of the lands proposed for parks
yond naralyze all improvements IN the elty ior yei
because the constitutional ameEdneDt hts tne % o ~
9oTnfion and at the highest limit II would take AT lel
three years pay for the parks to the ~ m
ppes docks and water front which must be made in
the Immediate future from taxation , -, ro,,ertv iu
another county upon which the city would be subject 70
TAXATION by that county on all Improvements aa' d
S"Iue Of the property adjoining which that county alone
would enjoy, entirely outside OF serious conS"'i
tjon by careful prudent officers OF the clty .. ho
In view of all these facts deemed my c to o % re
bill amend the New Parks ] aes ol 9 lands
In Westchesler County and limiting the amount 10 W, De
put the tax levy yearly for new PARKS S ~
schools new docks, waterfront extension repairg VI
and other urgent needs OF the Sy s,s beore
Won and before the Legislature OF the state ana ne
people OF this city, and will merely ada that the MINOR
ponis OF the bill before the Legislature are OF but very
small Importance compared TO Kidding ourselves Oh te
Sincutes which follow If the present act Is per
Intted stand imposing as does burden Wh m hiT
after their experience with Tweed, the taxpayers VIII
bear uncompaininSly ~,
letter was read from Controller LoeV regretthg tDal
ne was kept away by sickness but expressing MS
sympathy with the object Of the meeting nc tnonghI y
desirable to nd out definitely the COST OF tne P Phi
whether the city had power 70 Issue bonds Tor he[
ment before further steps were taken A1ram . ~
was the next speaker. Though somewhat hoarse' ht
smoke with great earnesness and effect In brei ne
come here tonight because feel 1t is an imperative
duty 10 strengthen the Mayor in the position he mas
taken with regard to the establishment OF these new
parks gave very hearty support TO tne pIoposit,ou
70 Law cut new parks When the commission was Sc
ieeted the names of the gentlemen conlpOSinY II
were a guarantee that the work would be wen aone
rad VIII entire approval their demonstration OF the
necessity OF more parks relieve the mortality dqe "a
oyercrowdng in the tenement house districts BUT mo
they propose accomplish this by opening ha uoln
marks not one OF which is within ten miles OF lhis
crowded population. what mockery of humanity and
every principle of justice is this; Applause.
II they really proposd to give fresh ar ana .1e gov
never have been called find from the report OF the
Commission that they not TO DO anything LOT tns
LII tlln.u a