Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-15
AS SEEN BY a FRIEND.

Following IS an extract from an ad-
dress delivered by Mr.. A ], Boyer
historian of the California State Asso-
citation of the District of Columbia,
at a meeting of the association heid
In Washington on the 9th of February,
To celebrate the sIxty-second anniVer-
gary of the signing of the treaty OF
Guadalupe Hldalgo at the close OF the
war between the United States and
Mexico, by which treaty Mexico ceded
to the United States the extensive ter
, litory now comprising the states OF
California, Nevada, Utah. part OF
Colorado, all OF the territory of Ari-
zona and part of New Mexico. en-
bracing about $4,000 square miles.
Mr. Boyer paid prolonged visit to
our state dhcn a territory In 1881, and
in his capacity as a journalist, wrote
many complimentary things about our
country and our people. Urging, In
his recent address, the admission of
New Mexico and Arizona into the
Union, he referred to Utah as follows:
I'VE all remember how the people of
Utah were so long deprived of their
rights In this respect 'Tis sad and
balcful story. this crusade against the
people of Utah Having been mobbed
from city to city and from state to
state. remnant of them-143 men.
women and children, left civilization in
1841. crossed the trackcss plains,
warning their way westward enduring
trials and dangers from hostile saw
ages and facing want and starvation.
sought rest In tho quiet and peaceful
Deserct vale; and there. In the beautl-
ful valley of Salt Lake, these banlshed
cNlled Mormon refugees unfurlcd to
the breeze the flag of their native
country-the Stars and Stripes-siX
months before Mexico ceded the coun-
try to the United States
They took Mexican soil and held 1t
for the Union. They built themselves
homes and established law and order
They built a large part OF the over
land railroad and erected six hundred
miles OF the first transcontlnental tele-
graph lines. They changed the alkaline
wastes into productive gardens and
fruitful farms, by turning upon them
the melted SHOWS OF the Wasatch
They erected factories and foundrles
they built schoolhouSes and temples of
worship. They fed the hungry way
farcr and supplied without compensa-
ton. the goldseekerS and homeseekers
on their way to the west These de-
splscd and prosecuted Mormons fur
nishcd five hundred men for military
duty in the Mexican war This body
OF men was known as the Mormon
Battalion" Crossing the Colorado
desert Of go miles without water they
arrived at San Diego in time to re-
inforcc General Fremont. and thus
saved California from the seizure
planned by England during the Mexl-
can war They performed every act of
or patriotism and humanity that goes
10 mako up the sublime features of a
modern progressive civilization. and
yet. how begI-udgingly were they gath
cred into the Union fold, How stub-
oornly and perslstently were their
claims opposed! But justice finally tri
umphedi and II will triumph in the
case of New Mexico and Arizona. Then
VIII the beautiful constellation of
american states be complete; then will
the great states of the Pacific sIone
whose territory was acquired by the
treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. forever
constitute the brightest gems in the
dladcm of tho fair goddess of freedom
Ihen VIII be rounded out the grand
galaxy of commemorative that shall
extend from ocean to ocean. and none
among them all will exceed In grand
cur those comprising the superb en-
plre by the sunset sea-"