The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-17
A Rad Mistake OF tho Mayors.

How could his Honor Mayor STRONG
have let himself be persuaded into such q
breach OF official propriety and sound ad-
ministration as to make this appeal to the
Park Board in reference to the plans pre-
pared for the Botanical Garden by the trus-
tees of the Botanical Society,"
"Iwrite this letter. ss l understand one Of the sub
jccts that will he before you viii DO In reference to
the buildings in tho Botanical Garden, to urge as
strongly rs I can the necessity of prompt action by
your board favoring tho adoption OF the plans az rec.
ommended."
Is Col. STRONG Mayor OF New York, or
Ia he only n private citizen endowed with
the Mayors powers, and, as a private
citizen, ready to use them for the pleasure
OF his friends2 OF course, he knew nothing
as to whether the plans he urged were good
or bad. He is neither a student Of botanical
gardens, of architecture, Of landscape archi.
lecture, nor Of parks. His fitness to pro-
nounce upon this particular question, or
his right to act or recommend action upon
it on the strength Of his own judgment
merely, was less even than that Of a Park
Commissioner, who is supposed to have
given some study to 1t.
Moreover, the law imposes upon the Park
Board the duty of " approving" these plans
as the final arbiter. The law Is not in the
habit of talking foolishly or Of recklessly
depriving public officers of their powers
and responsibilities. Approval, of course,
means, first, examination. and this the
Park Board faithfully and creditably
has caused to be made through a com
mittee OF the best experts obtainable.
To repudiate deliberately the advice Of
these experts would be practically to re-
, pudiate the law, and to delegate final judg-
ment on the plans to the private gentlemen
who nave made them, and to the influence.
whatever it is. which has induced the Mayor
thus to take a hand in the proceedings.
BY what right, also, does the Mayor assert
that ANY further delay on the part Of the
Park Commission would be criticised pretty
severely by the citizens of New York 7" The
citizens of New York are not Doors. They
have some sympathy for art and some I'M
d~erstandingof the proper methods for treat
ing public grounds, notwithstanding the
Mayor seems to have lost his. New Workers
also are very much alive to the proprietics
governing the management Of public prop
erty by private corporations like the Bo-
tanical Society. They would be pleased to
nave the Botanical Garden in full bloom
to-day but they enjoy Bronx Park as it is,
and it is a Islander upon them to suppose
that, out of impatience to possess any new
thing, they would, like children, refuse to
wait until it could be made ready in the
proper amer.
We call attention to this extraordinary
letter of Col. STRoNG's less with reference
to him than to the members Of the Botani-
cal Society, in whose NAME, we must sup
pose. he has been so improperly influenced.
Since he has surrendered his p%rerogatives
to them, upon them to a great extent rests
the responsibility of guarding the public
interest in Bronx Park against abuse from
the haste which the Mayor and his thought,
less mentor seek so indccorously.