New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-30
4 TH0RorGHLY FAD BUSINESS.

|
| The Board of Apportionmcnt has as yet
taken no action on the irregular petition OF two
members Of the Park Board for permission To
cxpcnd $500. 600 in the destruction OF one OF
the finest meadows in Central Park. 1t Is not
unreasonable To hope that body OF men with
such grave official responsibilities a the board
Of Npporionmcnt will act with ordinary eau
ton The entire scheme of tran>portln" the
mcnagclic To- the West side is Vicious 10 begin
| with The manner in which th" resolution was
rushed through was offensive ana illegal, ana
the request for - large an appro priaiion with
out Offering any specifications for it cNpcndi-
tune was indecent and dSordcIly. The proper
thing for the Board of Apportionmcnt T. do
is f. return the resolution, refusing 10 enter
tain any such proposition until II Is presented
i'm proper form hy the action of a majority OF
the Park Board ~ provided and prescribed in
tho statute.
Perhaps mental effort Wcalios Mr. Gallup,
but a man who receives 5000 year for
figuring ~ the executive head Of the city ;
parks ought 10 be able - Sc" for himself th"
absurdity of the Arguments which some of his
keepers prepared for him in justification Of the
scheme In published interview he urged rs
4
people wanted 10 sec them th1n anything else
in the Park. But does II not occur 10 Nr.
Gallup that pgizciight on the North Meadows
would draw still larger crowd? Even a
punch-and-Judy show would attract more pco-
pie than the animals; but would that Justify
the permanent establishment OF such a spec
tace? And II we grant that the mcnag"rle
would have visitor, by the thousand every day,
does it rot occur - Mr. Gallup that all these
people, mainly women and children, would
need 10 cross both the Eridle Path and the
Drive before they could reach the show! IN"
men who designed the Park made II a study
- provide for the U"c motion oi lars" MUM
bcls of people, and il either OF them had been
consulted no such capital bmnd"r could h1y"
been made One woman and a baby crossing
a line Of carriages can easily manage 10 get
run over or else call q halt and throw into
confusion the whole procession. But 4 con
slant stream Of pedestrians pouehing acro~, 4
continuou, line of carriages and another Ian"
Of holS4mcn beside it would soon turn that
portion Of the Park into ANYTHING else than
pleasure ground.
OF course the plans can hc changed 50 A.
10 tunnel under both road,-hut the $500 900
will not begin to cover the expense Of such an
undertaking; an undertaking, too, which Nh
Gallup assures us is only temporary make
shift The simple trlh is that the plan Of
the monagcric has been made without the
slightest consideration Of the character Of the
ground IT is paper plan, put together in
hurry to be passed b. trick before an absent
member Of the Board could return 10 his post
The slim of the matter is that the site, selected
against the advice Of both Nh. Olmstcd and
Mr. NauX, is bad for the animals and de
stuctye Of the Park. The plan is as bad 4,
the site. The method Of It's acceptance was an
indcccncy and an offence. The resolution a,
it comes before the Board vi Apportlonmcnt
is illegal in essence and incomplete in form
and the city looks t. this Board TO prevent the
contamination of such an outrage.