Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-07-26
JUDGE SEEDS RETIRES.
A Duty Faithfully Performed Amid
Stormy Scenes-A Resume of the
Earnest Work He Has
Dealt With.

Judge Edward P Seeds has closed his
term of four years as associate justice of
the supreme court of New Mexico and
Judge of the lst judicial district and re-
tired to the walks of private life. His
last official act was performed at p. IN.
yesterday, when he administered the oath
of office to his successor, Judge N B.
Laughlin, and followed it up with a word
Of hearty congratulation to the new judge.
Judge Seeds career on the bench has been
SO notably interesting and eventful that
it merits more than passing notice. He
was not an applicant for the high judicial
position from which he has just retired.
The appointment WAS conferred upon
HIM by President Harrison chiefly be-
cause there was no unanimity among Re-
pubicans in favor of home candidate
and the selection of an outsider was vir-
tually unavoidable.
When the new judge arrived in Santa
Fe from his home in Iowa ne did not
profess to be acquainted with the people
of New Mexico or the system of laws in
force here, but he went manfully to work
to master the difficulties that confronted
him, and the candid concession must be
made that much more than ordinary
success has attended his efforts. He GER
tainly did not conduct himself like car
pet Dagger. His actions from the start
strongly sustained what he has frequently
said, that he came here in good faith in
tending to make this his home for good.
He returns now to Iowa solely because he
sees no inviting opportunity for the
present for the practice of his profess
sion in this territory and he feels the me-
cessity of prompt action as he has
family to support and educate.
From the beginning his career as judge
was stormy one. He first invited crlti-
cism from his party associates by placing
Democrats upon the jury commission.
Then, following the election of 1890, came
the exciting mandamus and injunction
cases in this and Taos counties, growing
out of the counting of the votes, and Incl
dental to these we're the we'll remembered
contempt cases, one of which, that OF
Hon. Pedro Delgado, went to the supreme
court of the United States.
Immediately following these cases we're
those in relation to Martinez and others,
who had been indicted for murder, in
which the Judge declared the jury system
unconstitutional and quashed the indict-
ments. Out of this decision unquestion-
ably grew the present jury law, enacted
by the legislature soon after, which is free
from political bias.
Then he was called upon to decide the
election contest cases; the mandamus
proceedings commenced by j. r. DE
Mier to obtain possession of the pen'-
Tertiary from Col. Bergman; the Fran
cisco Chavez bond cases; the quo war
ranto proceedings by Mr.. Catron to GUST
G. M. Dreamer from the city council; the
complicated litigation growing out OF
the removal Of Sheriff Conklin and the
appointment of Mr.. Cunningham AZ
sheriff by the governor; the savagell
fought Lincoln-Lucky-Le mining cases
pass upon the evidence az committing
magistrate in the cases of the persons &C
cused of the murder of Francisco Chavez
and finally concluded his labors upon tn
bench by sentencing ten men to varlou
terms in Jail for contempt of court grow
ing out OF their actions in the late strike
Thus far he has been reversed tire
times in the supreme court, and in one o
the cases he united in the reversal, Will
in the other two there were dissenting
opinions.
Such are some of the salient fact
drawn from the record Judge Seeds ha
frequently said that he only claimed TO
himself that he had tried to be honest an
studious. He fully recognizes the fac
that he has made errors; that he ma
have occasionally been misled by hi
prejudices; but affirms that he has al
tenn pied, to the best of his ability, to b
an upright, fair and just expounder G
the law. The we'll wishes of the peopl
of New Mexico generally will, follow hir
to his home in Iowa.