The Basque case that Elorza advanced was shaped along Traditionalist lines. In terms of legal arrangements he stuck to the concept of re-implementation of old province-specific separate arrangements perhaps integrated in a vague, vasco-navarrese framework. In terms of cultural model he opted for traditional Basque heritage, entrenched in rural, religious, conservative ethnicity. However, when faced with modern Basque nationalism Elorza was prepared to bend his line; though with little enthusiasm he supported the concept of unitary vasco-navarrese and then even Basque regional autonomy and he was increasingly moving from an ethnicity-based cultural Basque identity to a nationality-based political one. Few of his fellow Carlists – like Julio Urquijo or Joaquín Beunza – were ready to go that far. However, Elorza was prepared to move where no other Carlist agreed to go; he accepted the ikurriñaduring the gathering of vasco-navarrese mayors in Estella in 1931, presided by Elorza, the table was covered in 2 ikurriña standards, see here. When asked by ayuntamiento of Durango about the usage of ikurriña, in September 1931 the SEV responded with a note, signed by Elorza:. This opinion put an end to the period of precarious usage of ikurriña and consecrated it as a standard of all Basques: „no existe un emblema o bandera que haya representado a todo el País Vasco en su pasada historia, del mismo modo que las banderas de todos los países son también relativemente modernas; pero el uso ya generalizado de la actual bandera conocida como vasca, que ha ondeado recientemente en los edificios de muchas corporaciones oficiales de nuestro País Vasco [...], permite asegurar que dicha exposición no puede suponer idea alguna partidista sino una expresión de la unidad espiritual de los vascos, que debe estar por encima de todas las suspicacias”, Iñaki Egaña, Diccionario histórico-político de Euskal Herria, Tafalla 1996, , p. 417 and during the Civil War he probably publicly spoke in favor of Aguirre.El Cantábrico 10.02.37, available here His withdrawal into privacy after 1939 is flavored with the sense of utter defeat; not only carlo-nacionalismo proved impossible, but both Carlist and Basque ideas were suppressed by the emerging Francoism.this is how some authors read Elorza’s declaration that “no es este mi momento”, Chacón Delgado 2015, p. 592
