Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1866-04-25
WHOLE NUMBER 99l.

hundred civil and criminal cases, and from
his decisions not more than dozen ap-
peals were ever made, not one of which
were successful. His office made him
Mayor, Sheriff, Recorder, Register, Ne
tary Public, Coroner, Marshal and Judge,
and he held police court, an alcade's
court for minor cases, court Of first in
stances, and court of admiralty. lp-
deed, this Office gave him SO much Iower
that municipal organization was entirely
made By his exertious. At the expiration
of his first term be was reelected with
little opposition, and his second term was
signalized by an act that deserves special
comTemoration.
This was a refusal to grant away city
lots at the old Mexican price Of twelve
dollars for fifty vara lots, as provided for
by the Mexican laws. Geary maintained
that this rate, fixed for period anterior
to gold discoveries, was an outrage on the
public Interests at time when the rush
of gold seekers had made every foot Of
ground il the city so valuable. The Gu
pidity of the politicians led them to try
to force a continuance of this, but Geary
urged that the whole of the public lands
of the city at this rate would bring only
$50, 900, whereas they should be worth
IN immensely greater sum. To settle the
matter, small portioo CT the lands we're
put up at auction aud sold for half a mill
ion of dollars, at which rate the whole
would be worth several millions. By
this means the attempt 20 swindle the city
out Of its lands was ended.
On May lst, 1850, the city adopted itz
new charter, and under it Gaary was elect
ed Mayor. which Office he filed to the end
of his term with eminent ability, as is
shown 10y his messages and other public
papers. He was also President of the
/ Board Of Commissioners Of the funded
DEBT of San Francisco, and President Of
the Board of Health, in both of which
positions he rendered very valuable sarvi-
ces so that he was thoroughly idetifcI
with the organization Of tie city under
the American system. lie took very
active part IN securing California as a free
State from the peruicious Influences Of
slavery, at the time when the formation OF
State Constitution was on foot, his Penn
sy?Taria instincts being as strong there az
subsequently were those of Reeder in
| Kansas
As Gen. Geary left San Francisco ia
February, 1852, and returned to his farm
in Westmoreland county, Pa, his public
career lasted abou: three years. Yet in
that brief space was compressed SO much
activity and usefulness as to prove q man
Of Grst-rate capacity for any public busi.
mes. The exact habits Of thought conse-
quent upon his life as ciTil engineer,
the promptitude in action iuculcated by
responsible command as a soldier in sro-
cessful foreign wal, made h;Gl jus. the
man for the needs Of turbulent and law-
less community like San Francisco in the
days Of the gold excitement Gen. Gelry
had eyer shrewa knowledge of what to
do and when to do it, SO tia. be has never
yet made mistake in his caiculations.-
We have shown this by his early life, and
We now point to his California record as
furnishing the most triumphant proof Of
his ability, and of that peculiar kind, too,
that is needed for the executive duties of
the gubernatorial Office in Pennsylvania.
His career az a soldier was in keeping
with his public record in civil life, and
both alike in the highest degree honora-
Bile to him add 10 his native State
ClrT DDJNTINl.