The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-06-26
BASQUE ANSWERS
SENATOR PITTMAN

the editor of that paper, GA Basque
Sheepherder replies to Senator Pitt
man, as follows:
! Sir: Your esteemed editorial on
"Senator Pittman S Estimate of the
sheep industry, and the men that con
duct it in Nevada, fell like a bomb in
to our camp. We feel happy over the
able way in which you and Mr.
Sheehan of the Winnemucca First Ma
tional bank, have disposed of the ms
representations of the industry by
that misrepresentation of ours, and
/ shall not dwell on that phase of his
/ testimony.
1 His description of the sheepmen in
Nevada is in keeping with his esti-
mate of the industry itself, and has
| proved a veritable bolt from clear
! sky.
1t is concerning this feature of his
/ testimony that | mean to enter my in
/ dignant protest, before the people of
the state of Nevada, and before the
ruling powers in Washington.
Senator Pittman says: "The Bas-
ques came from the Pyrennes noun
tains in Spain. Why get that class of
labor because they seem to be adapt
ed to sheep herding. and they are
lacking in intelligence, in independ
ence, or anything else. They
are just about as near a slave as any
body could be, under our present exist
/ ing conditions. As general
rule, they never associate with other
people in the state; they live among
themselves; they live in the lowest
possible way for a human being to
live, and they are nothing but sheep
herders.''
People of Nevadal His description
of my and my peoples character
makes of Senator Pittman most un-
accountable misft to represent state
among an honorable body of men.
Base as an enemy, faithless as a
friend, would not condescend to argue
with him, but enlighten, | will, the
people of Nevada, concerning this
Basque race, for whose existence the
human is the better, and the state of
Nevada may feel the prouder
OR rs years our people have been
emigrating to the American conti-
nent, north and south, thousands set
ting in California, Nevada and Ari-
zona, and in all these years, we have
met but fair play, esteem and consid-
GRAFTON on the part of the American
people. At this late day, we struck
upon this senator from Nevada. Long
before the world dreamt of breeding
the Pittman stock, long before the old
Romans and Celt-Tberians, the Bas-
ques settled in the valleys and on the
plateaus of northern Spain and south
ern France, strongly entrenched in
the midst fthe natural fortress of
the Pyrennees. From that seat they
never have dislodged
Lacking in independence. Why,
for 5000 years; they have basked in
the sunshine OF independence, dearly
won, but successfully maintained
against the most powerful foes the
world has ever known. Historians as
sert that between the eighth and thir-
teenth centuries, twice they decided
the fate of European civilization. If
in the last 300 years, the two strong
nations on both sides of them have
wrenched political autonomy from
them, they live today under the two
flags, as distinctly racial in language
manners and religion as they did a
thousand years before Pittman IS ma.
tionality was thought of. Lacking in
independence Why! nine-tenths OF
them own their land and theil
homes, dependence being considered
the lowest condition of social life, and
none being ever excused from work
that has mind to think and hand
to WELD.
"Lacking in intelligence
Hnx -.
minds in craftsmanship and war fol
30 centuries, with intelligence? But
how could we expect an ignoramus tc
be acquainted with the great men OF
the past, when he displays mulish ig
norance of his own constituents and
their interests. in his own day and
generation. right at his own door.
"lacking in intelligence?'
Who have dotted the Californis
coast with successfully managed ant
prosperous ranches for the last sc
years, but some of these sturdy
Pyrennean mountaineers? What die
the sheep industry amount to in Ne
vada, until tAey came, and made this
industry the biggest in the state, not
withstanding the senator's assertion
to the contrarys
1t doesn't take book lore to create
and keep up the sheep industry, but il
does take intelligence, dogged ten
aeity, sobriety and business acumen
such as all university professors ant
senators do not always have, to pusf
it to a successful issue.
Note well, there are scores of Bas
ques, young and old, who speak ant
write fluently in four and five Ian
guages. Wouldn I it be interesting t.
see Senator Pittman compete will
these stupid Basques in linguistic
examinationa
Did the senator ever find a singl,
individual among them living in ;
hotel, in dive-Aiving from hand Il
mouth, half dressed, unelean, inviting
hand-outf Not one in thonsans
years. They are as race and as in
dividuals. "of the manor born in
stinet with self-respect and respec
for the feelings of others-a qualit,