Paul Westrum’s letter in the July 4 Tribune requires a response. He asserts the U.S. did not steal lands from Mexico following war with that country but rather acquired them by treaty. He should understand that when Mexico was defeated the U.S. forced treaty terms upon them, which set a price and settled claims. A payment of $18,250,000 for the Southwest lands, which are so vast that eight states were formed from them, surely was a steal.

I suggest that Mr. Westrum do more research to determine how many pennies per acre this payment was and then decide the rightful owner.

Rudy Spieker

Albert Lea