1950: Alien land law ruled out and a cabinet guest for the JACL convention

Vol. 30, No. 17, April 29, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

A California appeals court ruled the state’s Alien Land law unenforceable because it conflicts with the United Nations charter, in the Sei Fujii test case, and the front page gave it top billing. Alongside it, Interior Secretary Oscar L. Chapman accepted Mike Masaoka’s invitation to speak at the eleventh national JACL convention in Chicago. The paper also followed the Walter naturalization resolution and Sen. Pat McCarran’s omnibus immigration bill, which I. H. Gordon described as removing race as a barrier to naturalization.

Elsewhere in these eight pages, Bill Hosokawa wrote about Ben Kuroki becoming a Nebraska country editor, and Lawrence Nakatsuka looked at the Hawaii hearings. Sports pages followed Wally Yonamine with the Salt Lake Bees and Henry Aihara’s winning leap for USC. Chapter news came from Dayton, Omaha, Wyoming and the Twin Cities, and a story told of Dillon S. Myer’s confirmation as Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Interior Secretary Chapman Accepts Invitation to Speak at National JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Interior Secretary Oscar L. Chapman accepted Mike Masaoka’s invitation to address the eleventh national JACL convention in Chicago, Sept. 28-Oct. 2. He is the highest-ranking government official ever to address a JACL convention and has long supported fair play for minorities and Nisei interests.
• Dr. T. T. Yatabe Helped Form National JACL Organization, by John Y. Yoshino, page 2. Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe, called the Grandfather of the JACL, reflects on his career from Fresno Loyalty League president to the JACL’s first national president. He predicts the upcoming Chicago convention will be the greatest in the organization’s history.
• Former Commander of Nisei Unit Addresses Eastern District Council Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Col. Virgil R. Miller, Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe, and Mike Masaoka spoke at the EDC pre-convention rally in Philadelphia on April 15 and 16. The event included a cabinet meeting, banquet, and dance with a queen coronation.
• JACL Recognitions Committee Nominates Seiichi Mikami, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National Recognitions Committee received a nomination for Seiichi Henry Mikami of Fresno. The nomination details his leadership in Fresno youth and community organizations and his work with the JACL and the American Loyalty League.

Community

• Central California Group Will Organize New JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei from Del Rey and Sanger met April 20 to organize a seventh JACL chapter in the Central California district. A membership drive committee and a constitutional committee were appointed to launch the new group.
• Ogden Businessman Killed, Wife Hurt in California Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seiichiro Tamaki, 69, an Ogden businessman, was killed in an automobile accident in California while his wife was critically injured. He had arrived in the United States in 1900 and headed the Tamaki Trading company.
• Rep. Arashiro Accepts Post in Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hawaii Rep. Matsuki Arashiro accepted Governor Stainback’s offer of a constitutional convention seat replacing Frank Silva, who was ousted for refusing to testify before the House un-American Activities subcommittee. Arashiro said his labor and legislative experience would contribute to a liberal state constitution.
• Dayton Increases JACL Membership by Fifty Percent, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Dayton JACL reported a 50 percent membership increase at the close of its 1950 drive, with 30 regular and 13 special members signed. Bill Yukawa and George Yoshida headed the drive.
• Jack Ando Takes Prexy Position of Wyoming JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Jack Ando was elected president of the Northern Wyoming JACL at its second annual election on April 15, succeeding Dr. Minol Ota. The chapter also named its other officers and committee members.
• Washington Girl Crowned Queen of Eastern JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fuku Yokoyama of Washington, D.C. was crowned Miss Eastern District Council at the EDC pre-convention rally in Philadelphia on April 15. Contestants from New York and Philadelphia served as her attendants.
• Kageyama Refuses to Resign Post as Honolulu Supervisor; May Face Perjury Charge, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Honolulu Supervisor Richard M. Kageyama refused his colleagues’ request to resign after confessing he was a Communist in 1947. The public prosecutor said it would bring perjury charges if sufficient evidence exists.
• Ex-Prexies Will Revamp Constitution, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former presidents of the Boise Valley JACL will form a committee to revise the chapter’s constitution and update its by-laws. Henry Suyehira will chair the committee.
• Progress Report Will Be Given on Shonien Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Architects Committee of the Japanese Children’s Home of Los Angeles, formerly Shonien, will present a progress report on re-establishing the home at a luncheon meeting. Board chairman Nobu Kawai announced the event.
• Nisei Nominated for Title of Mother of Year, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Ken Nishi was one of six women nominated for Chicago Mother of the Year by the Welfare Council. She was recognized for her community service, including work as secretary of the Chicago Council Against Racial and Religious Discrimination.
• Nisei Installed as P-TA President, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Ben Nagai was installed as president of the Mitchell Union P-TA in Atwater, Calif. on April 13. Other cabinet members were also installed in a candlelight ceremony.
• Twin Cities JACL Starts ADC Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Twin Cities JACL began its ADC fundraising solicitation among more than 400 Issei-Nisei families in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Fifteen solicitor teams were appointed, and the group aims to beat last year’s shortfall.
• Omaha Installs 1950 Officials at YW Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 3. New officers of the Omaha JACL were installed at a YWCA ceremony on April 22, with Robert Nakadoi succeeding Patrick Okura as president. Special guests from city and civic organizations attended.
• Kushida to Speak on Radio Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL regional director Tats Kushida will be the guest speaker on the Let Freedom Sing radio series on KFMV on May 9. The program is developed by the Institute for Democratic Education and sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League.
• Fire Damages Buddhist Temple in Portland, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A fire caused an estimated $4,000 in damage to the Henjyoji Buddhist temple in Portland. Firemen protected valuable statues and furnishings from water damage, and no one was injured.
• Hanford VFW Urges Citizen Rights for Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Hanford Nisei VFW Post 5869 initiated a resolution urging passage of the Walter resolution granting citizenship to long-resident Issei. The resolution has been approved by county, district, and state VFW councils and is under national consideration.
• Nisei Girl to Wed Delaware Man After Courtship by Mail, by P.C. Staff, page 7. John Warner Klund announced plans to marry Judy Aya Enseki, a Nisei woman from Los Angeles who recently divorced a husband she says renounced citizenship and joined the Japanese army. Enseki, who survived the Hiroshima bombing, is now working as a secretary in Los Angeles.
• Senate Omnibus Bill Will Remove Race as Barrier to Immigration, Naturalization, by I. H. Gordon, page 8. Sen. Pat McCarran introduced an omnibus immigration and naturalization bill that would remove race as a barrier to naturalization and eliminate discriminatory provisions of the Oriental Exclusion Act. The JACL-ADC is studying the bill and credits its work for including these reforms.

Incarceration & Redress

• California Appellate Tribunal Rules Out Anti-Alien Statute in Decision on Fujii Test Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California District Court of Appeals declared the Alien Land law unenforceable because it conflicts with the United Nations charter. The ruling reversed a lower court in the Sei Fujii case and is the second California court decision this year invalidating the law.

National

• Sen. Thomas Moves to Obtain Action on Walter Resolution, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Elbert D. Thomas of Utah tried to bring up the Walter naturalization resolution but was blocked on procedural grounds. Majority Leader Lucas assured him action would be taken before the session ends.
• Attorney Unable to Raise Bail for Tokyo Rose, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hope for release of Iva Toguri d’Aquino on $50,000 bail dimmed when her attorney Wayne Collins said no one seemed able and willing to post it. She is serving a ten-year treason sentence.
• 7 Nisei Will Attend Hawaii State Hearings, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At least seven Nisei political leaders from Hawaii are expected to attend Senate committee statehood hearings in Washington on May 1. A delegation of more than 40 Hawaiians is planned.
• Idaho Congressmen Promise Support for Claims Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Idaho Reps. John Sanborn and Compton I. White assured the Boise Valley JACL they would work to restore the evacuation claims appropriation cut by one million dollars. Both pledged support for the government’s obligation to evacuees.
• House Group May Cite 39 for Contempt, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Francis E. Walter said he will ask the House to cite 39 witnesses for contempt for refusing to testify at Hawaii Communist hearings, 21 of whom are Nisei. He described the Communist presence as limited to a small group in island politics and labor unions.
• Nisei Progressives Announce Opposition to Mundt-Nixon Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nisei Progressives denounced the Mundt-Nixon anti-subversive bill as a threat to the democratic rights of all minority groups. The group argued the bill’s guilt-by-association principle echoes the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.
• Former WRA Head Myer Confirmed as Indian Affairs Commissioner, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dillon S. Myer, former director of the War Relocation Authority, was confirmed by the Senate as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Mike Masaoka praised Myer as a champion of fair play for Japanese Americans and expressed confidence in his leadership.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Vets Join Loyalty Day Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei World War II veterans from the Nampa, Idaho area marched in the Loyalty Day parade in Boise on April 29. Grant Hess, the parade chairman, welcomed their participation.

Commentary

• Prestige of Hawaii’s Nisei Unharmed by Developments of Recent House Group Hearings, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. The House un-American activities hearings in Hawaii linked many Nisei names to Communism but did not harm Japanese American prestige, the author argues. The author contends the hearings showed Nisei are no more susceptible to Communism than others and that Communist infiltration is not a reason to deny Hawaii statehood.
• The Senate’s Omnibus Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Sen. McCarran’s omnibus immigration bill for eliminating race as a naturalization requirement and exempting older long-term residents from the language test. It urges that the bill not take precedence over the Walter resolution, which has already passed the House.
• California’s Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco Chronicle reprinted in the Pacific Citizen argues the Alien Land law is nearly finished after a 1948 Supreme Court decision and the new Appellate ruling based on the UN charter. It cautions that treaties supersede state law and should be used carefully.
• Chapter Interest, by H. E. Clark, Jr., page 5. A railroad telegrapher urges JACL members to take active interest in chapter meetings, drawing a parallel to how united union action improved telegraphers’ pay, hours, and retirement benefits. He argues that group action and individual participation are essential to achieving the organization’s goals.
• Butler Opposes Statehood Bill, by I. H. Gordon, page 5. Washington correspondent I. H. Gordon reports on the statehood debate for Alaska and Hawaii and criticizes Sen. Hugh Butler’s opposition. He argues that partisan calculations could doom both territories’ statehood bids.
• Ben Kuroki, Country Editor, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa celebrates Ben Kuroki becoming editor and publisher of the York, Nebraska weekly Republican, the first Nisei to publish a general newspaper in a community with a negligible Nisei population. He notes that Nisei journalism has grown but ownership of a paper carries distinct responsibilities.
• Japanese Movies: War Has Made Little Change in Quality of Nippon Films, by Jobo Nakamura, page 5. The author finds that postwar Japanese films remain melodramatic and unimaginative, with the exception of Kenji Comes Home, a realistic documentary-style film about a returning soldier. He compares its promise to the works of Italian neorealist director De Sica.
• Suddenly It’s Spring, by Al T. Miyadi, page 5. A reflective vignette follows a Nisei student working for room and board, a farmer in Orange County hoping for his break, and elderly Issei couples whose productive years have ended. The piece uses the changing seasons to explore hardship, hope, and the passage of time.

Sports

• Bees Have Best Backfield in Baseball, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Salt Lake Bees opened the Pioneer League season with a notable outfield and infield including Wally Yonamine, a former football triple-threat. Management praised Yonamine’s popularity and noted the team’s racial integration.
• Bee Officials High on Nisei Star, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bee owner Bert Dunne and manager Earl Bolyard praised Wally Yonamine’s play and popularity. Dunne also addressed the team’s acceptance of Negro pitcher Percy Fisher amid restaurant refusals in Salt Lake.
• Aihara’s Best Leap of Season Aids USC Victory, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Co-Captain Henry Aihara leaped 24 feet 7 1/2 inches to win the broad jump as USC defeated California in track and field. The jump was his best of the season and he is the defending Pacific Coast Conference champion in the event.
• Yonamine Will Open at First for S. L. Bees, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Wally Yonamine will play first base as the Salt Lake Bees open their Pioneer League season against Ogden. Manager Earl Bolyard also announced Yonamine will bat fifth in the lineup.

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