Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1900-06-01
THE WELSH IN PATAGONIA
Efforts Have been Made to ]suppress
the Little Colony OF DritIsh
Subjects.

The agent. In this country OF the
Welsh colony an Patagonia are by no
means inclined to rest satisfied with
the official rebuff which they have re-
ceived through the refusal OF the gov
eminent 10 intervene in their behalf.
They recognize that their demand. how
ever logically sound and historically
well founded, was somewhat irc?por-
tunely put forwa q, and was, from 4 de
partmental point If viCr-, rather unTc3-
sonable. The senior delegate - frank
on this point. The rcr!y Of lhc for
cign Office" he says, twas not Su favCr-
able US what was wished, but then We
wished more than could lie expected.
seeing that no great efforts had been
made in turthcruncc of the object in
view IL has, therefore. been deter
mined to carry the movement into the
PROVINCES sru vrGcaNur t. educate ana
stimulate p,!,iic oririum rs the orcani-
cation OF meetings IL witic!. the case Tor
the colonies Nay Ice explained. Ian
caShirc has been the first district select
cd for This rarpose. TIE expedition b.,
means OF which the colony was origin.
ally founded Was largely financed irum
Liverpool, and IL is probable that n good
deal of sympathy could easily he
aroused in that locality. The delegates
are perhaps not u~nrIIndfui of the oiu
adagc: "What Larcashirc thinks TO
day England will rLIuk tomorrow"
Meanwhile matters are not iIrprov-
ing in Patagonia, Thru"h pULiic meet
ings continue TO bc hCiG III favor of tie
administrative Undergraduate OF the
colony, il il cvidcI; HAT the speakers
are embarrassed l.. the dread OF perse-
cution OF the part % III Argentine gov
eminent. y keen sense of disappoint-
mcnt is felt at the !gct that no notice
was taken ia ~vaIII"uc: e Tie high
handed arrest ana Unconstitutional de
tention III jlil of Mrssr,. Evans I'll.
other lt'si.sh born settlers IA January
last, aUC - %, feared i."i the absence Of
any FroIvSi Oh the part of this coun-
try will serve to increase the active hos
tility of tie authorities nj EucnCs
Ayrcs. y Jlr ttriaWS aud pracIiCa!
cause of d" faint j. 10 be found in the
policy ~ - 'riiou l.! means OF postal
blockade Ni:'rh i@~ ucIu carried into
effect 10y ~.ii"cuiirv. The communion
ton" il is saIa, "h,'w"cn Ruenos Ayres
and Chunat srrms 10 Re open now, but
for some muHlis T.. l The steamer car
ried no mails to the colony. and in all
probability the heavy mnIi, which ia,r
been accumuiatingin Gucuvs Ayrcs Eayr
been designcdly kept back. OF destroyed
by government order" .AGuIiiuuaIlr!y-
ton is also TO be unprecedented on r..
ligious grounds.
1t will be remembered that Il OF the
gravest complaints made by III.
colonists was that their young me.
drafted into the national guard were
compelled to drill Oh Sundays. Ii was
deeply resented, too. that Sunday was
chosen for the arrest of the colonial re-
form leaders. which actually tCok place
during the holding OF Il religious SER
ice, and it was believed. rightly or
wrongly, that these things were cX-
prcssly intended to outrage their feel
ings. They are threatened now with
nm attempt ut direct propasandism. \
number of Roman Catholic priests nave
recently been sent into the colony con-
siderably in excess of the spiritual
needs of their cu~rcligioris,s. The
Roman Catholics in Chupat-ihat is TO
say, the few shopkecpcrs ana officials of
the Latin race auG the haii-vustc labor
ers-consti;utc only II very small minor:
ity of the population, and their num-
bers are practically stationary. 1t has
been the avnwcd determination of Mai.
ODonncil. thr governor. to dc%national-
iZe II It'll" community at Chupat by
striking 1T It's system Cf education.
With this view he has cn%dcavorcd by
financial starvation and other methods
to stamp out the Welsh schools and to
replace them by others on n Latin
model. To do this WON'T lr 'I badly
wound TIE .uscepribilitics = irs !i,rlc
colony of cXiIrd WcIshmr;. "ar il cali
easily he understood that e icing Of
very genuine alarm has been excited
by the pricstly invasion from Bucnos
Ayres.
The Chupat delegates Lave an cy.
trcmcly interesting case to inv hricr,
their fellow countryncn AT home. III
remote and Economically Gir"#rsr0usCa
colony Of shepherd. ard l~"",5srs IT,
Patagonia feel that they haze a claj:a.
In blood, IL not in law. on 'af-ugrurtCf
the country from which they --"a-..
and from which they have i.,,r
coded even by the irDccss alra.-,#l.;
ton. They nsk that Iir;, .i.".."ir...
tended to them son,thir. a. o.. .,....
fricndliness which Great !.f....f r..
freely and properly rXhir,.'f ;.,...
the Outlnnders aud the N":a.r.i.l.
They are IMMERSED in ~" cpnvtrtfcr.
OF international politics. bat 'afir cp..
mon sense goes straight - fh- r-ilt.
They make their c"ourtryrru ~arguuir,.
cd with their grievance. ;r,l they r..
fuse to believe that the f,s. rrcrs Of
diplomacy are unable to provide Il
pmply.-IOuIo post