New-York tribune., 1899-05-28
coyEy ISLAND PARK PROJECT.

Controller Colcr's suggestion for park at
Coney Island is an attractive one IL is GER
| tainly a pity that our finest and most oon'en
lent stretch of ocean beach should be turned
| into q resort of vice and lawlessness. tract
whore respectable people could easily go ana
| have healthful and decent recreation Win sur
roundinps OF fresh air. rolling surf ana morai
| cleanliness would indeed be boon to TINS CITY.
| The Controller believes that the fire which mas
| lust wiped ont a large number OF the shops ana
sLanties which encountered. but did not adorn'
the sands of Coney Island has given favorable
| opportunity for clearing away the whole sea-
| shore Bowery and transforming the entire dis-
| trIct into a park. He would purchase all the
land living between the present unimproved PARK
lands AT the end Of the Concourse end the char-
table institutions near Sea Gate, and reclaim
the sum of clapboards and cnnvas for the pur-
poses Of innocent enjoyment
We should not like to discourage anything
that meant the substitution OF air, trees and
| .rr,;cht for dens and dance halls at Coney
Island or elsewhere, and we entertain the high
est respect for Mr.. Colers philanthropic motives
Nevertheless his idea of abolishing the Coney
Island Bowery brings up several linpor'an'
questions. One of his reasons. and undoubtedly
| a good one for the abolition Is that Coney Isl
and is and has been a disgrace and menace 10
| the city. "It is the seat of vice and crime anu
"a source Of pollution to the morals OF the
"creat mass OF the population" For Mr. Coler
TO say that is for him to say that his colleagues
| In the city government tolerate this seat OF vice
and crime If It is a source OF pollution IL Is SO
because the authorities do not enforce laws
| there. Our statutes If enforced might not turn
| Coney Island into Garden of Eden but tney
| could make it reasonably decent. Mayor
Schieren enforced them and brought about
great reform from the old prize-fghting, dive
Aourishing days which Coney Island knew be-
| fore II was under his authority Now IT is wide
omen again. Just as the old Bowery Is wide open.
| The same spirit which has demoraized the
polce force in the Tenderloin has given full
swing to pronlgacy In the booths OF Coney ISL
and II we must buy lands for parks as the
| only way Of clearing out lawlessness we snouid
have to purchase every corner saloon Win
| Tammany pull In the whole city, and then the
| jewellers would move to the next mouse anu
carry on business with the added attraction OF
public park at their door. We may devastate
| and call It peace; we may make PARK ana call
It virtue; but If our authorities still protect the
vicious we shall have disorder and vice as
| before.
Suppose the city did buy up and clear away
the Coney Island Bowery. Would 1t do any
thing more than move It? The gamblers and
| the sirens would fold their tents and pick up
their board shanties and camp beside the park
and carry on business and polute the neighbor-
hood In the old way Unless a new spirit OF
INV enforcement and regard for decency AMI
| .-.o+or our rnunicinal authorities there would be
| only n change of location, not an abolition or
vice. II the police are not ready to do their
duty now they would not do 1t because a strip
of beach had been turned into park. Never
theless park might be good thing along that
beach. and then some day, when we had law
enforcing city government to make Its surround
ings decent, it might be one Of our most at
| tractive and creditable pleasure grounds.