Issei citizenship stalls in the Senate, and a land law ruling stands

Vol. 30, No. 13, April 1, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

The Senate’s crowded calendar kept the Walter Resolution, the bill that would open citizenship to the Issei, waiting. Mike Masaoka of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee said more than 40 amendments to DP legislation could push a calendar call back by a week or more. In California, Judge Thurmond Clarke denied the state’s motion for a new trial, leaving in place his ruling that the Alien Land law is unconstitutional in the Masaoka family case. In Denver, Katsuto Gow, a Nisei veteran, won his home after publicity broke a racially restrictive covenant. Bill Hosokawa and Larry Tajiri wrote columns on housing bias and civil liberties.

The sports pages followed Nisei ballplayers signing pro contracts and the Hawaiian Nisei All-Stars’ eight wins in Japan. Other pages covered evacuation claims, with a Washington Post editorial on a proposed 20 per cent cut in funds, and the 442nd Veterans club’s seventh anniversary in Honolulu. Chapter news came from San Mateo, Stockton and Chicago.

What’s in this issue

National

• Senate Delay on Issei Citizenship Bill: Walter Resolution Must Await Next Call of Calendar, by P.C. Staff, page 1. DP legislation will occupy the Senate for much of the coming week, pushing back the earliest possible calendar call when the Walter Resolution could be acted upon. Mike Masaoka of the JACL ADC says Senator Russell may no longer oppose the resolution, though an amendment may be offered.
• Judge Clarke Denies State’s Motion for New Trial in Masaoka Land Law Test Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thurmond Clarke denied the state’s motion for a new trial, leaving intact his ruling that the Alien Land law is unconstitutional. The decision applies to the Masaoka family’s effort to buy a home for their mother.
• Hail Decision Outlawing State Land Law in Masaoka Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Supporters including Galen Fisher and Annie Clo Watson congratulated Joe Grant Masaoka on the ruling striking down California’s Alien Land law. Attorneys cautioned that the decision binds only that case unless upheld on appeal.
• JACL Brief in McLaurin Case Opposes Jim Crow in Education in Southern State, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Supreme Court to end segregated treatment of Negro graduate student V. W. McLaurin at the University of Oklahoma. The brief argues that separate educational facilities can never be equal under the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Washington Post Asks House Restore 20 Per Cent Slash in Evacuation Claims Funds, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Washington Post editorialized that the House Appropriations Committee’s 20 per cent cut to evacuation claims funding would thwart the Evacuation Claims Act. It urged restoring the full amount so that aging claimants receive timely restitution.

Community

• San Mateo Ends Successful Drive for Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Mateo JACL added 100 members in an intensive drive led by Bob Sugishita, bringing its total to 285. The count reflects nearly full coverage of San Mateo, where most members are recruited.
• Denver Nisei War Veteran Wins Right to Home as Race Restrictive Covenant Ignored, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Katsuto Gow, a Nisei veteran, moved his family into a Denver home after a racially restrictive covenant had stalled his loan approval. Publicity in the Denver Post prompted title insurers and federal officials to help secure the $9,000 mortgage.
• Nisei Ex-POW Paints Mural at Fort Lewis, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sgt. Frank Fujita, a Nisei soldier captured in Java and held as a prisoner of war, painted a 10-by-30-foot World War II mural for the 38th Field Artillery Battalion Officers’ club. The mural depicts light artillery and supporting weapons in action.
• Work of Masaoka, JACL Known in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Earl Finch reported that Japanese audiences know and appreciate Mike Masaoka and the JACL. He said Nisei veterans face difficulty bringing Japanese brides to the United States under current immigration rules.
• Nisei to Teach in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Amy Claire Suguro became the first Nisei appointed to a teaching position by the Seattle School Board. A Seattle University graduate senior, she will await assignment before the fall term, and her appointment was announced alongside that of Chinese teacher Lillian Lum.
• Hawaii Election Results Show Coming of Age of Nisei Group, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Nakatsuka reports that 19 Nisei won seats as delegates to Hawaii’s constitutional convention, 11 of them first-time politicians. The Nisei delegates make up about 30 percent of the convention’s 63 members.
• Masaoka Hails JACL Record in Venice Talk, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka addressed the Venice JACL chapter, praising its achievements for persons of Japanese ancestry and urging continued organized action. Fumi Utsuki was elected chapter president at the same meeting.
• District Group Will Support Fresno Office, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Central California district council voted continued support for the Fresno regional JACL office and planned a ninety-day fundraising campaign with a car raffle. Chapter chairmen were named for the 1000 Club.
• Fair Market Value Used as Yardstick in Evacuee Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL-ADC explained that fair market value will guide the assessment of evacuation claims, drawing on Canadian precedent. The standard considers willing buyers and sellers and the property’s potential uses.
• Cleveland Issei Prepare for Eventual U.S. Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 7. About 80 Cleveland Issei enrolled in a citizenship class offered by the adult board of education in preparation for eventual naturalization. The article notes that Issei remain legally barred from citizenship, and that the JACL is campaigning to change the law.
• Stockton to Host Meeting of District Council, by P.C. Staff, page 7. About 100 delegates are expected in Stockton on April 16 for the Northern California-Western Nevada district council meeting. Regional director Joe Grant Masaoka visited the local chapter to lay plans.
• South Alameda JACL Adopts Constitution, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The reactivated Southern Alameda County JACL adopted a constitution and took its new name at its March meeting. The chapter also signed 20 new members and created an athletic division.

Incarceration & Redress

• Strandee’s Right to Return for Hearing Upheld, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Honolulu Judge D. E. Metzger ordered the State Department to allow Nobuo Ishimaru to return from Japan to testify in his citizenship case. The ruling holds that consular officials cannot delay a Nisei’s return for such testimony.

Military & Veterans

• Work of Masaoka, JACL Known in Japan, Says Finch, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Earl Finch, a friend of the Nisei, reported after a trip to Japan that Mike Masaoka and the JACL are well known and respected there. He also described the plight of Nisei veterans unable to bring Japanese brides to the United States due to immigration restrictions.
• Honolulu Veterans of 442nd Observe Seventh Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 8. About 400 members of the 442nd Veterans club celebrated the regiment’s seventh anniversary in Honolulu. Territorial Secretary Oren E. Long challenged the community to improve home ownership and related welfare measures.

JACL

• Chicago JACL Backs Referendum on City Government, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chicago JACL chapter endorsed legislation to improve city government through night and holiday court sessions and a social service department. The measure, which passed the Illinois Legislature, goes to a referendum on April 11.

Commentary

• Lewis Exposes Own Ignorance, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial rebuts radio commentator Fulton Lewis Jr.’s attack on Dillon Myer’s appointment as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. It argues Lewis confused the WRA with the Justice Department’s internment camps and ignored that the House Un-American Committee’s probe of the WRA was discredited.
• Interest in the Primaries, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises rising Nisei political activity, including voter registration drives and candidate forums sponsored by JACL chapters. It argues that the Nisei can use their voting strength to make candidates responsive to minority needs.
• The Break in the Dike, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri recounts how California’s 1942 dismissal of roughly 400 Nisei state employees on suspicion alone broke down civil liberties protections. He draws a line to later loyalty controversies, warning that the principle of group-based dismissal was never repudiated.
• West Coast Newsreel: The Fog Drifts In, by Jobo Nakamura, page 4. Nakamura offers a column of vignettes on San Francisco’s Nisei and Issei community, including Issei hardship, Kibei waitresses, and reunions with old friends. He reflects on the return of wartime-displaced families to the West Coast.
• Minority Week, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column highlights the return of legitimate theater to Washington, D.C., after the Gaiety theater opened to all races when the National refused. It also notes Portland’s anti-discrimination ordinance facing a petition challenge.
• The Battle Against Housing Bias, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa examines how the RFC initially refused the Gow mortgage over a racial covenant despite Supreme Court rulings. He credits Denver Post publicity and argues the federal government must not discriminate on racial grounds.
• From the Side of the Hill: Moods Along the Potomac, by I. H. Gordon, page 5. Gordon offers a column on Washington civic life and the awareness of federal workers about being watched. He also discusses Dr. John R. Nichols’s reluctant acceptance of the Indian Affairs post and his later mission to Japan.
• Happy Ending, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column tells how Washington’s Gaiety theater reopened the capital’s legitimate theater to all races after the National refused. Opening night drew diplomats, society, and Negro patrons alike.
• Japanese American Citizens League Reports on Fair Market Value in Evacuee Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The JACL-ADC explained how fair market value will be used to assess evacuation claims, drawing on Canadian arguments about willing buyers and sellers. It notes three complicating factors including the difficulty of proving comparable sales years later.

Sports

• Matsubu Will Play for Kansas Team, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hank Matsubu, Modesto’s Nisei catcher, was assigned by the Pittsburgh Pirates to Hutchinson, Kansas, in the Western Association. The column also reports on Fresno State college players and other Nisei athletes.
• Terada Signs Pro Ball Contract With Browns, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Terry Terada of Salt Lake City signed with the Redding club of the Far West League, a St. Louis Browns affiliate. He was spotted by Browns scouts while playing for a Fourth Air Force team.
• Hawaiian Nisei Sweep 8-Game Tour of Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Hawaiian Nisei All-Stars won all eight games of their tour of Japan, including two victories over an all-Japan team in Tokyo. Wallace Tome scored 30 points in the first game.
• Yonamine Named as Regular in Salt Lake Bees’ Outfield, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine was named a regular outfielder for the Salt Lake Bees of the Pioneer League after impressing scouts with his speed and batting power. The Bees open the season April 29 against Ogden.
• San Jose Defeats Hawaii to Win Intermountain Title, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The San Jose Zebras won the 15th annual Salt Lake Nisei invitational basketball tournament over the defending Hawaii All-Stars. Jiro Nakamura earned the most inspirational player award and the team won sportsmanship honors.
• Spokane Nisei Wins Honors as GI Athlete in Far East, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Staff Sgt. Frank H. Miyaki of Spokane excelled in football, basketball, and softball while serving in the Far East Command. He starred for Washington State and in service leagues, earning recognition as an all-round athlete.
• Kobayashi Places Third in Century at NCAA Swim Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Herbert Kobayashi of Honolulu, a sophomore on the Ohio State swim team, placed third in the 100-yard freestyle at the NCAA championships. Ohio State won the team title.

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