When the father of Basque nationalism demanded that “the sovereignty of Spain comply with”

Zárate referred to the emblematic phrase of “I have to Dream” pronounced from the staircases of the monument to Lincoln by Luther King, on August 28, 1963, during the march in Washington for work and freedom. And, ongoing, he established the parallelism of that defining moment for the Movement for Civil Rights in the United States with the trajectory of that known as the father of Basque nationalism.

«Sabino dreamed of seeing Euskadi recover his historical rights as a nation at the concert of the peoples of Europe. Luther King dreamed of equality among all people regardless of their origin, race and social extraction, ”said PNV leader.

The simile between these two historical figures has been strongly criticized, above all, by the Popular Party of the Basque Country, which shared the video cut along with some Arana slogans in which the “Basque race” claimed in contrast to the Spanish or The French to claim her superiority. This, for example: “Our race, singular for its beautiful qualities, but even more unique for not having any contact with the Spanish race, or with the French, or with any race of the world.” A proclamation that, according to the PP, collide frontally with Martin Luther King’s message.

The rampers of Arana

This claim that the current PNV leaders make of the “Basque race” has nothing to do, either, with the Spanish spin that Wordano Arana gave in his last years of life, which has generated not a few controversies among historians. An episodes that from Basque institutions have always tried to silence or systematically hide the Spanish turn that gave at the end of their life.

Independence historians have justified that late conversion to the ravings that supposedly caused the disease that ended at 38, known as the “evil of stone feces.” I told it ‘El Liberal’ In its June 23, 1902 edition, in a small review entitled ‘The National Unity’: «The weekly ‘La Patria’, organ of the Bizkaitarra party, has published an article collecting the rumor that Sabino Arana, head of the nationalists , currently imprisoned and seeing that their party is prevented from legal life, it is proposed to give up the defense of their ideas, recommending their friends to recognize and abide Party that aspires to the happiness of the Basque Country within the Spanish State ».

To avoid erroneous interpretations, the newspaper clarified below that, before the publication of this news, he visited Arana to confirm if the rumor was true. He said yes and «declared that the Nationalist Party is not possible that it becomes regionalist due to evolution. It is necessary that you abandon the ideals you maintain today […]. In view of these manifestations, it is unquestionable that the Bizkaitarra party will soon disappear [en referencia al PNV] and that a group will be formed that tries to restore all the good of the Basque past and that is compatible with national unity ».

Vomiting and fatigue

The news of this turn was collected by other newspapers such as ‘The time’ and ‘El Globo’. In this news it was not specified that Arana did not suffer direct pressures of any kind to outline what should have been its Spanish Basques League replacing the PNV. First, because the conditions of their stay in the Larrínaga prison have no paragon: luxury attention, ease of communicating with the outside and even a Christmas Eve menu, the 1895, which included oysters, kiss, hake and tourons. And secondly, because it is very unlikely that Addison’s disease – official name of the “evil of stone feces” – alter its mental faculties, since the effects it produces are the darkening of the skin, the appearance of black freckles , vomiting, fatigue, weight loss, cold intolerance and some physical pain.

To check and argue this, you can consult the book ‘Sabino Arana, father of nationalities. Unpublished correspondence of the Arana Goiri ‘brothers’ (1981). In his essay, the Basque historian Mauro Elizondo serves as a fundamental premise the aforementioned article published in ‘La Patria’, on June 22, 1902, under the title of ‘Serious and Transcendental’. In it, there is a manifesto that saw the light only three weeks after the politic granted independence to Cuba.

In his article, however, the founder of the PNV denies that it is possible to apply this same independence in the Basque Country, since the recipe that the US president applied to the last territories of Spain in overseas is not the same. That is why he recommended to his classmates to “recognize and abide by Spanish sovereignty.” In addition, he asked them “a last vote of trust” to walk together “towards the Spanish State, without breaking the present legality, offering the basis for the constitution of the total state and other individuals for this country […]. A party that aspires to restore the good the good and at the same time compatible with the unit of the State ».

«Radical autonomy»

In the weekly ‘La Patria’ an interview with the author was published to talk about this same article. One of the questions was: “What plan, line of conduct or program would you draw for the new game?” His response was: «The one of autonomy as radical as possible within the unity of the Spanish State. And at the same time adapted to the Basque character and modern needs ».

As expected, these desires of Arana caused a great impact and confusion on the nationalist ranks. A fact that has not happened either unadverted for many historians, who have analyzed the controversy created with interpretations of all kinds, often interested. That of the independentistas was based on the aforementioned disease and its imprisonment, in addition to the judicial process that was pending, for the possibility of obtaining a lower condemnation if it reduced its tone and showed closeness to Spain.

This is where the documentation provided by Elizondo in his book comes into play: the letters that was exchanged at that stage with some of the most important personalities of the nationalist movement. Specifically, with Engracio de Aranzadi, Basque leader and indispensable figure in the dissemination of Sabino’s ideas in San Sebastián and surroundings, and the doctor José Arondiaga, in whose missive we know that his turn did not have his first and only manifestation in the article , but he was brewing for half a year before entering prison.

Arondiaga himself came to write later about it: «What is the determination to kill a game in Sabino and found another?, To the desire to go well with the cause of which he was pending? No, since in December 1902, four or six months before his imprisonment, he already told me that we would soon become Spanish and that for this he was going to give birth to a new program, which, he believed, he believed, I was going to make a lot of noise between Galicians, Asturians, etc. ».