The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-07-24
SPEAKS A GOOD
WORD FOR BASQUES

Editor Silver State:
Advices from the east indicate that
Senator Pittman s attack on the sheep
industry and the Basque sheepowners
and herders is doing much injury to
our state. Business men and men with
money are figuring that our leading in
dustries, such as cattle, sheep, lead
mining and possibly silver and cop
per, will get some very hard knocks
should cattle, wool and lead be eventu-
ally placed on the free list. A drop
in the price of lead would cause a
cessation in mining. This will be
especially true in so far as the pros
peetor, who ships few tons each
year, is concerned. Lead at $4.00 in
New York does not mean that the
miner gets that much. First the
smelters make a deduction of $3.50 for
refining, then from the price allowed
they will deduct 10 per cent for loss
in smelling, then treatment charges,
and the last whack they take is for
:" freight, treatment and samplng -
By the time they have made deduc-
tions for moisture and deductions for
smelling the silver you feel so help
less and dazed you do not know
whether you have been mining or just
playing roulette. Should there be no
limit placed on the silver content in
lead ores shipped in free of duty it is
more than likely there will be a con.
sequent depreciation in silver mining.
At such a time, why is it necessary
to get out a sledge hammer to knock
one of the leading industries of the
statef Why necessary to misrepresent
large number of Basque sheep men
and sheep herdersf 1t is untrue that
the Basque sheep man is of a lower
order than others engaged in the
sheep business, or that they work for
less. There are many Basques and de-
seendants of Basques engaged in
ranchiEg, cattle and mercantile bust
ness as well as the sheep business. The
Basque is usually a man of more than
ordinary intelligence, with keen busi-
ness ability, and is usually prosper
Gus. They are, as a rule, law abiding,
sober, and make good citizens. Some
of the first cattlemen in the state were
Basques. The Altube brothers, Pedro
and Bernard, the former usually call
ed "Palo Alto,' from the name given
their big ranches in Elko county, was
a towering figure in the cattle business
many years before Senator Pittman
ever came to Nevada. The elder
Carat, father of Peter, John and
James Carat, was another Basque who
came to Nevada in the sixties and en-
gagged in the cattle business. He was
succeeded by his sons, all men of in
tegrity and business ability. There
are numerous others. such as the Saval
brothers, p. Indart, b. Loinaz of this
town, the Duque brothers of Reno, and
many small ranchers and stockmen,
both cattle and sheep, spread through
out Elko, Humboldt and Washoe coun-
ties. AS rule the Basque is fond of
Home, they marry early in life, and
are devoted to their wives and child
rem. The women are healthy, singu-
larly virtuous, as rule more than or
dinarily good looking and make good
wives and mothers. Having for years
been intimately acquainted with large
numbers of these people | cannot un-
derstand Senator Pittman's attitude,
or where he acquired his information.
Was it first hand, or was it from some
person or persons jealous of the pros
perity of the average Basque. Know.
ing these people as / do and appreciat-
ing the lasting friendships which l
have enjoyed with many of them for
long years, / feel it my duty to thus
poorly express what l know about the
men and women whose fair name,
honor, pride and integrity Senator
Pittman has SO maligned and deeply
wounded.
J. A. LANGWITH
Winnemucca, Nevada, July "a, 1913.