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Show AN IMPORTANT ANNIVERSARY. Today is an importaut anniversary for all thiti region. On this dato sixty years ago tho treaty of Guadalupo Hidalgo was signed. By that treaty Mexico ceded its northern torritory to the United States, at the end of a war in which the brilliancy of de'eds on the part of tho United States troops was the marvel mar-vel of the world. Nothing like it had ever been known; such a victorious effort ef-fort of a comparatively small squad of soldiers against tlic 'hostn of the one my outnumbering them in almost 'any sort of ratio that might be named. Repeatedly Repeat-edly this small band of unflinching heroes routed tho enemy in his well fortified nnd supposedly impregnable positions, po-sitions, defended by armies of thrice six imcs the numbers of the assailants, never suffering defeat, but making constant con-stant advance from Vera Cruz io the very citadel of the enemy's country, capturing cap-turing fortified posts of importance one after another, and port'orming, individually individ-ually and collectively, tho most shining feats of vnlor. It was held by moiiy people in this counirj' that the war with Mexico was an unjustifiable war of conquest, pure and simple, and waged especially in the interest of tho slave power. Undoubtedly Undoubt-edly there was verj- much l.o say in favor of this view of tlio case. The United States was engaged in an aggressive ag-gressive warfaro at I hat time, bc3"ond question. At the same time, there. were very many numerous provo.cativc events which made it difllcult to keep out of that war. Mexico had fieen at war constantly con-stantly with Texas, for more tli3n a decade. The restless spirits of America found the same exasperations ip (heir contact with the Spanish methods of tho nowlj acquired nationality of Mexico that they had found wilh the methods of old Spain in Florida and at tho mouth of the Mississippi when Spain was there in possession. There seemed in the old days "to be an irrcprcssiblo conflict between be-tween Spauish methods and the spirit of American independence, and where the two come in contact there was inevitable inevit-able friction and bloodshed. It was, on the whole, 110. doubt, well that tho war should be fought out at that timo and the boundary of the United States extended ex-tended to the Eio Grande; as, in fact, we could fairly have claimed from the Louisiana purchase. That we did not so intdst in 1803 by no means diminished tho ardor of the adventurous spirits in the Southern States and in the West, those who were still in full faith that tho .boundary of the United States extended ex-tended by right to the Rio Grande. But this was not tho official view of it, and the United States recognized the nationality nation-ality of Texas for a good ten years. This region around here, however, was unquestionably under the dominion of Mexico until the signing of the treat' or t.viinuaiupe llulalgo. The settlers who came here tho year before settled upon Mexican soil. They erected a standard to the nations on Ensign Peak, which was composed of scraps of the various national standards, indicating tho supremacy of tho kingdom of God over all earthly powers, principalities, rulers, .and states. As against Mexico, no doubt, the theocratic rule so declared de-clared could have been mado good. As against the United States, however, the claim faded away, and finally merged into a fervent profession of loyalty to the Union and a claim that tho United Statos flag alone was hoisted on Ensign Peak. But what a dill'cronce there is in the country then and now! Not so much difference, of course, as thero is in California Cali-fornia in the same comparison, for there has been a reactionary and pillaging ex-clusivcucss ex-clusivcucss enthroned here that has kept back progress, and which, its adherents having taken up the lands and acquired tho water rights, has kept out the more progressive and enterprising inhabitants of this country. Still, with the incoming incom-ing of the .miners and tho development of the 'mines, Utah has grown rich, and is for the most part enjoying the prosperity pros-perity aud a strength derived from its mineral resources that place it in the front rank of Western States. It does not raise its own food altogether, because be-cause wc havo to import poultry and meats fropi tho East, but it enjoys an agricultural prosperity that iu uiauy ways is unique. Tt was the pioneer of irrigation in this interior region, 'and has developed a system of agriculture that on the old lines some time ago practically reached its limit. There arc indications now, however, of extensions by way of lessening the use of water for irrigation, it being admitted that loo much water has been heretofore used,, and b' way of dry forming, so fully exemplified and insisted upon in the recent re-cent dry-farming congress in this city. There is much room for Improvement iu all these lines, and by way of settling agricultural Water rights, aud according accord-ing the utmost possible use to the water resources of the country. The progress in the last sixty years has been vory great, but we 'expect that in tho ensuing sixty years it will bo greater yet. Of the Western communities communi-ties starting sixty years ago, Utah is probaBly the most backward State, And yetytho voice of progress is now being heard, and wo hope for an irnprovomcut all along the line as rapidly as the uew ideas can obtain lodgment iu the minds of'.the conservative masses of this State, Thero is no question bat that by im-jprcrVcd im-jprcrVcd methods very large areas could .be added to our agricultural operations andy.tbat the State has a future before it as brilliant as any of its neighbors. While we 'have not done so "well in Utah iu the last, stity years as wo might have o'ne; we believe that the determination is growing that for the future no State shall be suffered to distanco us in Ihe race toward the-'highest progress and the most thorough .advancement. When we havo had sixty years of actual ac-tual Americanism-,!) place of the past sixty years "of nominal Americanism, Utah will shine a far brighter star in the galaxy of the Union than she does now. |