The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-06

ton is never enforced in tho BASQUE prov
inces, and q Basque arrested for any crime,
no matter what, cannot be sent out of
Biscay for trial.
These fueros have been a source Of in
finite annoyance to the government from
the fact that the Vizcayans form thus an
Independent community in the kingdom
and have privileges so exaggerated that
the people of other provinces complain Bit
terly of the immunities enjoyed by the
Basques. The latter, they say, are no bot
tier than themselves and should be placed
on the Same footing as the rest of Spain's
pcopie, both in regard to military duty
and taxation. Every attempt, however,
that has been made to abolish the fueros
has resulted in a Basque Instruction,
characterized by so much vigor that the
government has finally boen forced to yield
and purchase peace by renewing the fueros.
Twice during the present century has
the Spanish government endeavored to
abolish the BASQUE privileges and place
the people of these three turbulent prov
inces on the same basis as the other popu-
lation. In 1912 the new Spanish consti-
tuition, adopted during the general recon
struotion of Europe which followed the
Napoleonic wars, graded the Basques as
other SDaniards. Instantly the provinces
rebellod. No taxes could be collected, the
c~onscription could not be enforced, for all
the Basques took to the mountains, and
the war. begun in 1878, lasted until 1928,
when tho Basque privileges were restored
and the Basqaes became quiet. Ten years
later isabella undertook to subdue the
Basques, when another insurrection was
started, and the Basques espoused the
cause of Don Carlos. The government
poured thousands of troops into the Basque
country and seized oil the fortified places.
At one time there was not a town in all
Biscay which was not in control of the
Spanish troops. Selling the towns n
centers of population was q measure ex-
pected to end the instruction, but seemed
only TO add fuel to the flame, for in small
parties the Basques operated in the noun
tains, and whenever the Spanish troops
moved they fell into ambuscades, were
fred upon by the guerrillas, and in 1910
the country was as far from being pacificd
as ever, when the government yielded the
point and restored the privileges.
Again, in 1872, the government under
took to subdue the Basques, when again
they rose in Instruction, placing them
selves under the leadership of Don Carlos,
and the war lasted four years, resulting in
the retirement of the pretender and the re-
sumption by the Basques of their old
rights. 1t was utterly impossible to SUBJ
due them. Their love of freedom and jeal-
ousy of any interference with their rights
Were so strongly marked that they had be-
come part Of the Basque nature. What
they are now they have always been. Spain
has been ovcrrun by military conquest.
but the Basques have never been subdued.
The people of the Basque provinces are
the descendants of the a~borigines of the
country who were in possession when
Spain was conquered by the Romans.
Anciently they were known as Vasconi,
hi Il relic of this primeyal name is found
IN Vizcaya, the people calling themselves
Vizcayans. When the Romans conquered
Spain, the aboriginal population retired
TO the mountains of the north and to the
Pyrenees region, and there in fortrcsses
rendered b~npregnable by nature they de-
fled all efforts of tho ~eonquerors. The
omar finally concluded Il convention
with them similar to that which the Span
ish government has been forced to make
and utilized thousands of them in the
Roman armies rs auxiliaries. The Cloths
succeeded the Romans, but the Goths
made no impression on the Basque coun-
try Tho Moors and the Spaniards were
no more able to overcome them than were
the Goths. Like the Bretons in France,
the Welsh, the highland Scotch, they have
been overrun but never overcome.
Tn county Of the Basques is peculiarly
euited to guerrilla warfare, and officers
who nave conducted operations against
them are unanimous in declaring that as
guerrillas the Busques have no equals.
While concentrated in the three provinces
named 50 as to constitute the great ma
}ority Of the population they are widely
disseminated throughout the Pyrenecs re-
gio1l northern Spain and southern France.
Thcswhole Of north Spain Is mountainous.
the Cantabrian range following tho coast
at a distance Of 40 to 80 miles end break
Ing up near the sea into a number Of
branching chains, which cover several
provinces. Thus from tho Atlantic to the
Mediterranean there runs an almost con-
tinuous rugged chain, denscly wooded md