Show F I 1 6 r iI f VT Vi W iw i r I Ip I. I t I L h 1 h t. J Y I Rep Burtons Burton's Washington Report Moon Trip Parallels Pioneer Trek By Rep Laurence J. J Burton A blazing streak across the skies Thursday July 24 1969 signalled mans man's greatest triumph In lIe He had conquered conquered con con- the elements clements of ot another planets planet's s system I t Truly this is one of the greatest great great- est cst moments in history because the three men who rode that small spacecraft space spice craft ba back k from the moon had taken mans man's first steps on another world More is yet to come BUT AS we sit and ponder the unbelievable unbelievable un un- believable obstacles that have been overcome overcome over over- come we might also reflect on another feat that occurred on July 24 years ago That also was an undertaking that most men would have ha b been en unable to t ne- ne c- c That was the day that a small band of pioneers finished their thel r Journey to a a prom promised Is cd land That was the day that a n bed besick sick lender leader rose from his entered covered wagon to look upon a barren and dc desolate area aren and proclaim This is the Place Just as the spacemen pioneered in space Brigham Young and his followers pioneered the plains fighting hunger disease and even death as they crossed the treacherous mountains and barren plains braving the cold of winter until the journey was ended Brigham Young refused to yield to those who wanted to push on to the gold of California and decided rather to settle in the bleak desert of sagebrush and salt BUT AS before the Mormon Jeader ader and his faithful followers did not balk at the Impossible just as our space efforts have taken the word impossible out of a a venture of which only Jules Verne dreamed Irrigation ditches were dug streets streets' were blocked out houses built and crops were planted Impossible to todo do do- such A thing in ina a hostile barren place Man Ian thought Brigham Young was out of his mind but the faithful knew better and the small handful of pioneers grew steadily and today Utah's population lation Is over over a a million Utah has progressed over over the years as our space program has As a matter of fact our Utah industries were instrumental instrumental in in- in the construction of some key components of the moon moon shots shot's hardware hard hard- ware From humble beginnings in a hostile environment Utah today has become become be be- come come a leader in Industry tourism and education OUR PROFESSORS number among the nations nation's finest in our universities The NEA ranks Utah at or near the top in nearly every every evey measurement of the effectiveness of its education programs which Is wI wkly out state out of state student enrollment enrollment enroll enroll- ment Is so high We have nine universities and colleges and in my opinion the very finest educational system system and and let me say that we dont don't have the typical Columbia or Harvard scene of hippies taking over the administration buildings Why Because our students are there to learn I We have progressed that Is s true But what docs does the future hold for Utah We built a great city and state out of a wilderness We are only beginning however however how how- ever because we as citizens of the Beehive Beehive Bee Bee- hive State won wont won't t sit still while progress is being made elsewhere INDEED WE have blossomed as the therose therose therose rose and we will continue to take those first steps as the moon men did by using the resources of our Utah men and women whose spirit ability and integrity integrity in in- will not be content with living in the shadows of others It took faith and courage for our astronauts astronauts as as- and nd those in the space program to progress to the stage where they are today It took faith and courage for our pioneers to fight the bitter winters Indians Indians In In- perennial drought unseasonable storms and other hardships to make make- our Utah what it i is today BUT THERE are others with the same b backbone backbone- Where There are other Brigham Youngs other pioneers who wont won't say 1 it a ft can cant can't t be done Because to to to the typical typical typo ical Utahn there is no such word as cant can t tAs As our President nt Richard Nixon told the three astronauts astronauts' aboard the carrier Hornet This is the greatest week in inthe inthe inthe the history of the world since creation I can only add that the feat pa parallels in many ways the difficult journey and accomplishments of Brigham Young and his Mormon colonizers My ancestors crossed the plains in covered wagons to begin a new life Now perhaps man has crossed space to begin a new way of life on other worlds |