On December 1(5, 1872, a further step in the same direction was taken by the erection of the excised strip into a new ''town" called Kingsbridge. Meantime the annexation enterprise had been fairly launched. In the autumn of 1872 some of the principal property-owners of Morrisania and West Farms held conferences, which resulted in the preparation of an annexation bill by Samuel E. Lyon, a well-known lawyer. The bill was introduced in the assembly early in 1873 by William Herring, representative from the 1st district of Westchester County. " The city authorities," says Mr. Cauldwell, " did not take kindly to the project of annexation, and the animosity then existing between the department of public works and the department of public parks nearly throttled the bill

! i rj s i Hoi j

1 The

Great

North

Side

(published

by

the North Side Board of Trade. 1S97), 22.

HISTORY

WESTCHESTER

COUNTY

in the legislature. But Governor Dix saved it by making known most emphatically that he would favor no bill for annexation which did not give exclusive jurisdiction over the streets, roads, and avenues of the proposed new district to the department of public parks. This ended the struggle between the rival departments, so far as the annexation bill was concerned, and it became a law."' It provided for submitting the annexation question to the decision of the people of New York City and also of Westchester County at the next ensuing election, in November, 1873. Fortunately the momentous issue was determined by the people on its exact merits, no partisan influences being thrown against the annexation programme. The city gave 55,319 votes for annexation and S,380 against; the towns directly concerned-- Morrisania, West Farms, and Kingsbridge-- cast 4,230 affirmative and 109 negative votes, and in the remainder of Westchester County the result was 9,023 for and 2,G43 against.