The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-06-19
P|TTMAN FOR FREE
WOOL AND SUGAR

commission has appeared in nrinted
form, says the Gazette. 1t makes
nlghty interesting reading to us Ne.
Vedans who stay at home. having no
opportunity to "legislate. -
Extracts from Senator Pittman e
testimony wherein he stated that he
knew Tor fact and from personal
knowledge that there has been a pre-
meditated, sustained. expensive Iobbv
on the part of the Wool Growers, as.
sociation of Nevada TO intimidate
their representatives into supporting
certain measures under the belief that
~ per cent of the people demanded
it, when it was not true" have been
printed and commented upon. But the
senator has many other things to saw.
lie admitted, AS previously recorded
ms activity before the committee hav
ing In charge the metals schedule. in
behaf OF the movement to secure a
reduction of the duty on cyanide. a
commodity used in reducing ores
from mines in which he is interested.
But what will interest some of his
partisans and many of his constitu-
regarding the unimportaneev of the
sheep and wool industries in Nevada.
Let us quote few entertaining para
graphs:
want to state that I have been
deluged with kilograms and with let
ters, all urging to me that it was the
sentiment of the Democrats of my
state that there should be tariff on
wool and sugar. From by personal
knowledge of the state, / know that
this is not true. | know that we have
but little over million sheep in the
state of Nevada; that large portion
of those are not sheep belonging to
the people of the state, but belong
ing to people in California and Idaho
and Utah. | also know of my own
personal knowledge that probably
about dozen institutions own about
80 per cent of those sheep. also
know of my own personal knowledge
that nearly all of the laborers employ
ed in that occupation are Basque
sheep herders, who can hardly speak
the English language, and get about
S35 a month";
Senator Reed asked Senator Pitt
man what he meant by Basque sheep
herders. Mr.. Pittman replied:
The Basques come from the
Pyrenees mountains in Spain. They
get that class of labor because they
seem to be adapted for sheep herding,
and they are lacking in intelligence,
independence, or anything else. They
are just about as near slave as any
body could be under our present ex
isting conditions, and l do know, of
my own personal knowledge, that the
sentiment of our state is not in favor
OF a tariff on wool or sugar.
In answer to further question
from Senator Reed as to whether the
Basque sheep herders were ordinarily
citizens, Mr.. Pittman said:
Ono, they are not. As general
thing they never associate with other
people in the state they live among
they can only speak few
words of the English language; they
live in the lowest possible way for
human being to live; and they are
nothing but sheep herders.' Then, in
response to another inquiry, Senator
said the S35 per month paid
the Basque sheep herders was much
less than the wages paid Others in the
industry, and that this did not ordi
narily include board, although the
other character of help are boarded, -
he said.
The foregoing will serve to show
what estimate Senator Pittman puts
upon the wool and sheep industry of
Nevada, as well as his estimate of the
men employed to carry on the work.
Further on in his testimony, when
of the expensive lob
by maintained by the Wool Growers
he admitted that he was
familiar with the extent
Of the industry, fhaving made two
in the state. He said all
the literature sent to him by the
lobbyists at home had been con
signed to the waste basket, because
ne knew exactly inwhat respects the
nstigators of the campaign of decep-
ion were endeavoring to mislead him.
Had he read, or even inquired, he
night have learned that upwards of
I 900 persons are employed in the sheep
md wool industries of Nevada, and
almost entirely by dozen institu-
ions, are in fact owned by between
$50 and 500 Nevadans. He might
nave learned, also, what he evidently
'ailed to learn in his two campaigns,
hat the Basque sheep herders whom
le claims to despise so heartily, are
egarded by the men who employ them
somewhat more highly than by him
elf. The Basques, according to the
,fiicial figures, receive an average
monthly wage of s45, with board in
addition. Camp tenders receive fron
so to $75: foremen from $75 to 800
anch hands from $35 to $40, and ha'
ng hands 50 per day He might h"
discovered that the total investment
f Nevada capital in flocks is an
$7,O00,O00, and that the
.nnual cost of conducting the indus
ry including wages paid, is upwards