Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-01-05
Defense Of New
Mexico Spanish
Antonio Luccro Delivers a
Merited Calling Down" To
Judge Louis Sulzbacher For
Careless Statement
To the Editor Of The Optic:

'N f'b''NoNiVu NHt l
Last night, while reading The Op-
Tic, as ! always do. among other
things ! read what Judge Louis Sulz.
bacher has to say about Porto Rico |
In a letter TO William Frank OF Los |
Alamos.
The judge is an old resident of Las
Vegas, where he lived for many years |
and where. If | am correctly informed,
he made a pile of money, and taking
these things into account | Tell you
that 1t was no little surprise to me
to read in his communication. among
other things, that "The Porto Ricans
do speak the Spanish and that the
New Mexico Spanish would hardly be
understood there" The judge him
self is a very good Spanish scholar
or rather was when he left New Mex.
leo, and not knowing of any motive
that he would have for making such
assertion, am inclined TO think that
his aforesaid assertion was, a slip OF
the pen, placed in his letter for want
of something else to write about.
But the assertion has been made and
as a New Mexican | think 1t becomes
my duty to refute it.
Last July ! had the honor to be one
Of the delegates to the national dem
ocratic convention at st. Louis from
this territory, and while attending
said convention ii was my good for
tune TO meet a Porto Rican by the
name Of Juan Molina, who was there
as a representative from his island.
Mr.. Molina Is the editor of the Span
ish edition of the Scientific American,
published in New York City, and is,
of course. a gentleman of culture.
While thus attending the convention
| had opportunity to meet the gem
tleman and talk with him on several
occasions, one of our conversations
lasting for fully an hour. The con
versations were had in Spanish, he
using the Porto Rico Spanish and |
The New Mexico Spanish, and | tell
you on my word that he felt just as
much at home as | did. He did not
seem to have the least difficulty in
understanding me nor did I fail to
understand him. If this be the case,
what, then, becomes of Judge Sulz-
bacher's assertion, when he says,
that New Mexico Spanish would
hardly be understood in Porto Rico?'
AS editor of La Voz del Pueblo, |
exchange with a Porto Rican newspa'
per. one of the best on the island,
written in Porto Rico Spanish. The
publication ranks among the best ]
have ever seen published, either In
Spain or any of the other Spanish
countries, and yet | will state for the
information of Judge Sulzbacher that
while I nave no criticism to make on
the said publication, still ! will ven
ture the assertion, without fear OF
contradiction. that its Spanish Is mol
"A pure as the Spanish we g II
La Revista Calolica, a newspaper
publisbed by the Jesuit Fathers ir
New Mexico for the last forty years
and read by New Mexicans. II wha'
we speak in New Mexico is not suci
Spanish as can be understood II
Porto Rico, as Judge Sulzbache
would have people believe, how Is J
then that these New Mexicans rea'
and understand Revista Catolica!
we New Mexicans speak a dialec
that is not anv more like SPANS
than Chinese is like English, how
n then that we are able 70 read an
understand all the books published
Spanish that come to US from spa
and other Spanish countries? DO
Ouiiote's book. one Of the classlca
works of the Spanish language, |
found in pretty near every SPANS
home in New Mexico, n II is rea
and understood by all those who hav
II. But 1t will be contended. know
that the poor people do not speak IN
language as well as did Castela
That is true and it Is also true OF an
nationality. The common elasst
among Americans do not speak u
language as do some of our pei
writers. The peasants in Spain {
in Mexico do not speak the languas
as wen as do the educated classe
But. while it Is true that our peop
as a rule. while speaking Spanish
not use classical Spanish, and IN
grammatical errors now and tht
Green in their ordinary conversatio
vet. what they speak is Spanish al
can he understood wherever Spani'
Is spoken.
Years ago DR.. Marion and MI. La
razolo had occasion to prepare son
dissertations in history and IN
were read before Spanish speskil
audiences right here in Las Veg'
These dissertations were written
fine Snanish and received favoraf
comment by the Mexico press. WI
attending college at Notre Dan