Driveways in Park to Be Oiled ~ SD Union, January 19, 1904

SAN DIEGO UNION
JANUARY 19, 1904, 6:1.

CONTROVERSY IS FINALLY SETTLED

Driveways in Park to Be Oiled According to Plans of Park Committee

A Debate in Which There Was Much Interest and Some Feeling Shown – Delegates Concurred in Aldermen’s Action

Last evening the board of delegates, after long debate, voted to concur with the board of aldermen in the matter of the proposed oiled driveway through the city park for which the chamber of commerce has offered to supply the oil to the amount of several thousand dollars worth just for the purpose of getting a fine drive through the park that the people might be proud of. The result of the action is to fix the streets on which the oil shall be put outside of the park, leaving the selection of driveways in the park to be oiled to the park improvement committee, which is carrying on the work there at present.

The subject was one of the first matters to come before the board of delegates. There were many people present, nearly all of whom wanted to see the proposition go through, and most of whom wanted to see it go through on the lines that it finally did follow. Seeing the large number present, Delegate Sehon, who seemed to be the only opponent of the proposition, asked that the rules of order be followed and that outsiders be not allowed to do more than to present their case and not to argue upon it. In his talk against the concurrence, he argued for a driveway at the outer edge of the park. In the course of his remarks he was far from courteous regarding the plans of Mr. Marston, and quite plainly intimated his belief that the park was being planned somewhat in the interests of the property which Mr. Marston owned north of the park. For this he was promptly and properly called own by Delegate Simpson, who declared that the remarks of the delegate from the first ward were severe and uncalled for. Delegate Simpson was applauded and Delegate Sehon was not.

Capt, Sehon also wanted to have the park drives wider than 50 feet.

President Peters of the chamber of commerce said that he was not quite prepared to speak on the subject of what drive should be selected, but he did know that the offer of the chamber of commerce should be accepted. He said that such things were contagious and that the city was quite apt to have offers of similar nature after this one had been accepted. He wanted the city to get all it could in this way.

L. A. Wright, a director of the chamber of commerce, was next to speak. He first hung a map of the park up before the board. Delegate Sehon said that it was a pretty thing with a very pictorial effect, and Mr. Wright said that was exactly why he wanted Mr. Sehon to look at it. He then explained the map with its drives, and told why the outside drive proposed by Mr. Sehon was impractical. He also defended Mr. Marston, and said that the plans were drawn by a landscape architect and that no consideration whatever was taken of the outside property belonging to any one. The plans were those of men who were considered the best to be had in the country. Mr. Parsons was, he said, in charge of Central Park, New York, and there the drives were 50 feet wide, and plenty wide enough. More miles of a 50-foot drive could be maintained than of any wider drive for the same money.

Delegate Sehon was on his feet again. In truth he was the only delegate on his feet at any time during the controversy. He said that the park plans were laid out in accordance with an artistic and not according to a scientific idea.

Melville Klauber, from the audience, was given permission to speak, and he did in defense of Mr. Marston and of the park committee’s plans. He was the offer was too generous a one to loses sight of.

The first vote was on the adoption of the report of the committee of the board of delegates fixing the route of the oiled road all the way through the park. It was voted down by 12 to 6. The motion to concur with the action of the board of aldermen then prevailed, and the instruction was to . . . have the streets named put in condition to receive the oil. The park committee has been at work for some days getting the driveways, which it is proposed to oil, in condition to receive the same.

Return to Samuel Parsons and Balboa Park.