Defending Mexican workers, and a sixth break-in at JACL’s regional office

Vol. 42, No. 16, April 20, 1956. 8 pages. View this issue

A Watsonville strawberry grower and JACL member, Ted Arao, spoke out for Mexican nationals after residents of the Casserly district insulted them while protesting a new labor camp. The paper reported that plans for the camp were dropped. The front page also named Robert Y. Sakata of Brighton, Colo., one of four outstanding young farmers of 1955, and told of the Southern California JACL Regional Office, broken into for the sixth time in four months.

Columns this week came from Bill Hosokawa, Harry K. Honda, Larry S. Tajiri, Mike Masaoka and Tats Kushida. Tajiri traced the history of anti-Japanese agitation in California and urged readers to vote to remove the Alien Land Law. Masaoka explained the Eisenhower Administration’s civil rights program. Chapter news covered voter sign-up drives, community picnics set for May 6, and plans for the 14th Biennial JACL Convention in San Francisco.

What’s in this issue

Community

• JACLer Defends Mexican Nationals, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Watsonville JACL member Ted Arao spoke out against residents who insulted Mexican nationals while protesting a new labor camp in the Casserly district. The controversy ended with plans for the camp dropped, and Arao’s stand was praised as a fine example of defending human dignity.
• Hour-Long All-Japanese TV Show Features JACL Program for Oregon-Idaho Audiences, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Snake River and Boise Valley JACL chapters jointly produced an hour-long Japanese-themed television program over station KBOI. The show included a history of the national JACL movement, cooking and cultural demonstrations, and a reading of the Japanese American Creed.
• JACL Regional Office Vandalized, Burglarized for Sixth Time, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Vandals broke into the Southern California JACL Regional Office in the Miyako Hotel for the sixth time in four months, damaging typewriters, files, and Pacific Citizen circulation records. Staff described the attack as the work of an anti-Nisei psychopath.
• JACL Rans Flood of Anti-Semitic Letters, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A hate letter signed by the ‘Niseis of Kawakita Society’ was sent to Southern California JACL and Jewish organizations, seeking to turn Jewish and Japanese American communities against each other. The Japanese American community condemned the letter, which had also been reported in February and referred to the FBI.
• Pasadena Applies for First JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pasadena is seeking to host a JACL national convention, marking a new chapter’s bid for the organization’s biennial gathering. The request was reported on the front page alongside other news.
• Gardening Pick-Up Truck Insurance Rate Lowered in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Los Angeles Japanese Casualty Insurance Association announced reduced automobile insurance rates for gardeners due to their excellent safe driving records. The new rate structure consolidates five years of records from seven offices.
• Moses Lake Nisei Heads PSK Fraternity at WSC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Kaye K. Tanaka of Moses Lake was elected president of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity at Washington State College. A senior mechanical engineering major, he is also a member of the engineering honorary Sigma Tau.
• Watsonville JACLer Rises to Defense of Mexican Nationals, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Ted Arao, a Watsonville strawberry grower and JACL member, publicly condemned residents who called Mexican nationals animals and half savages during the labor camp controversy. Arao argued the workers are human, essential to local agriculture, and deserving of dignity.
• Nisei-Invented Electronic Bagpipe Worries Scots, One Paper Fears Wide Catastrophe, by P.C. Staff, page 4. D. M. Sugimoto, a student at Royal Military College, demonstrated an electronic bagpipe that alarmed many, including a Montreal newspaper that editorialized against it. The paper feared the device could be mass-marketed and cheapened the instrument.
• Milwaukee Nisei Assist Junior League Program, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A group of Milwaukee Nisei performed a Japanese folk tale in the Children’s Arts program sponsored by the Milwaukee Junior League. Junior League members created the props and scenery for the production.
• Ishimaru Leads Insurance Sales, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Haruo Ishimaru of the San Francisco West Coast Life Insurance agency led the entire firm in its Set the Pace sales contest during the first six weeks of the year.
• Chicago Corner: Hospital Bias, by Smoky H. Sokurada, page 4. Chicago became the first city to ban hospital admission discrimination based on race, creed, color, or national origin through a municipal ordinance. The column also reports on the success of the city’s first Japanese arts festival and Wesak Day celebrations.
• EDC JACL Council Convention Over 200 Attend Banquet, by Ayako N. Nakamura, page 4. Over 200 attended the Eastern District Council JACL convention banquet in Bridgeton, where Congressman T. Millet Hand and State Senator W. Howard Sharp spoke. New officers were installed for the Seabrook Chapter.
• Disclose Current 1,000th Thousander, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Frank Y. Takahashi of Chicago was named the current 1,000th member in the 1956 national 1000 Club campaign. The 1000 Club is composed of JACL members contributing $25 or more annually.
• Prepare Program to Appeal to Teenagers and Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Stockton JACL arranged a meeting featuring a travel presentation by Dr. David Stadner and a dance demonstration by Marjorie Sheridan. The program was designed to appeal to audiences from teenagers to Issei.
• Vagaries Continued: Alien Land Law, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri concludes his history of anti-Japanese agitation, noting that the California Alien Land Law remains on the books as a symbol of a shameful past. He urges Californians to vote to remove it in the November election.
• WLA Membership Figures Disclosed at Get-Acquainted Voters Sign-Up Meeting, by Steve Yagi, page 5. The West Los Angeles JACL held a get-acquainted night with a voter registration drive, registering over 40 voters. Membership had tripled its 1000 Club numbers and the regular drive had signed up 350 members toward a goal of 500.
• Marysville JACL Community Picnic in Yuba Foothills May 6 to Attract 2,000, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Marysville JACL planned its annual community picnic for May 6 at the Sperbeck Ranch in the Yuba foothills, with games, prizes, and a benefit movie. Organizers expect attendance similar to past years of over 2,000.
• Snake River Chapter Holds Biggest Voter Sign-Up in Area, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Snake River JACL sponsored a political information meeting in Ontario, Oregon, attended by about 100 people to encourage voter registration before the May primaries. New Oregon rules would require voters to sign poll books and give current addresses.
• Sacramento Community Picnic Slated for May 6, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Sacramento JACL will sponsor its annual community picnic at Elk Grove Park on May 6. The afternoon will feature games for children and adults.
• Rummage Sale Sponsored by San Francisco Auxiliary, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The San Francisco JACL Women’s Auxiliary will hold a rummage sale on April 28 at the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, with donations of clothing, household goods, and other items sought. Pick-up service is available for donors.
• 24 no Hitomi Set for Pasadena JACL Chapter Benefit Apr. 28, by Mack Yamaguchi, page 5. The Pasadena JACL will show the Japanese film 24 no Hitomi as a benefit on April 28 at Cleveland School Auditorium. The movie is among Japan’s top productions of the past year.
• Berkeley JACL Planning for June Graduates’ Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Berkeley JACL is organizing a Graduates’ Prom on June 16 to honor local high school and college graduates. Committees are being formed among students to plan the event at Hillel Hall.
• Newsletter: Nisei from Texas, by Henry Mori, page 7. Henry Mori profiles James Jingu, a Los Angeles Nisei who is leaving the Japanese Consulate to work as a buyer representative for local firms. Jingu, a World War II veteran and Texas native, speaks three languages and has long urged Nisei to pursue trade with Japan.
• Two JACLers Join in New Law Office, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dave Yokozeki and George Maruya, both active JACL members and community leaders, opened a law office together on West Jefferson Boulevard in Los Angeles. Both are Nisei attorneys with overseas military government experience.

Military & Veterans

• Colorado Nisei Named Top Farmer of Year, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert Y. Sakata of Brighton, Colo., was named one of four outstanding young farmers of 1955 by the U.S. Jaycees despite wartime relocation and serious injuries from a farm explosion. He now owns a 175-acre farm and manages 640 additional acres, and is credited with outstanding soil management and innovative crop methods.
• Roy Scout Troop 53, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Seattle’s Troop 53, sponsored by the Japanese Baptist Church, celebrated its 36th anniversary with a banquet honoring veteran scouters and their longtime scoutmaster, the Rev. Emery Andrews. The troop has produced many distinguished alumni and continues its tradition of camping and service.
• The Northwest Picture: Troop 53 Continued, by Elmer Ogawa, page 7. Ogawa continues the history of Seattle’s Troop 53, recounting its drill competitions, snowball fights, and the origin of Clarence Arai’s nickname General. He notes the Reverend Andrews’ continued enthusiasm for camping trips with the scouts.

Incarceration & Redress

• State Supreme Court Backs Nisei in Damage Suit Against Sand-Rock Firm, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Arizona Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Gunichi and Shizuyo Matsumoto, who sued a sand and rock company after a rock thrown from a passing truck injured Mrs. Matsumoto. The court held that companies owe the public a duty not to overload trucks in ways that create hazards on highways.
• Seek $25,000 for Three Claim Awards, by P.C. Staff, page 2. President Eisenhower requested supplemental appropriations of $25,537.08 to pay three evacuation claims awarded under the Evacuation Claims Act. The awards went to Bill M. Doi, George Kimura Jr., and Theodore and Angie Segawa.
• Vandalism Continues at Regional Office, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Southern California JACL Regional Office was burglarized again, with vandals spilling desk contents and pouring duplicating fluid over documents and equipment. This was the sixth break-in in four months.

National

• Eastland to Head Immigration Subcommittee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. James O. Eastland was named chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization, succeeding the late Sen. Harley Kilgore. The post was previously held by Sen. Pat McCarran, under whom the McCarran-Walter Act was passed.
• Senate Passes Bill Amending Fulbright Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate passed an amendment requiring foreign exchange students to return home for two years before becoming eligible for immigrant status or reentry. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is considering the bill, which aims to close loopholes that let exchange visitors remain permanently.
• Alabama Plans Three-Way Schools to Preserve Segregation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Alabama Gov. James Folsom signed a law allowing parents freedom to choose segregated or integrated schools, creating a voluntary three-way school system. The law applies to primary and secondary schools.
• Tokyo Rose to Face Deportation Trial in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Iva Toguri D’Aquino, convicted of treason for her Tokyo Rose broadcasts, will face deportation proceedings in San Francisco in June after being paroled in January. Her attorney Wayne Collins has offices in San Francisco, which is why she was permitted to move there.

Commentary

• Salesman Frank, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Bill Hosokawa profiles Frank Uyeda, a colorful Nisei door-to-door salesman of Meito china who has survived a plane fall and a series of business ventures. The column celebrates Frank’s irrepressible character and entrepreneurial spirit.
• Middle East Crisis, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Harry K. Honda examines the economic and religious roots of the Middle East conflict, including Arab resentment of Israel and the strategic importance of Suez and oil supplies. He argues the crisis threatens world peace and calls for greater understanding.
• Vagaries: Anti-Japanese Agitation in California, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Larry Tajiri traces the rise of anti-Japanese agitation from 1918 through the Alien Land Law of 1920 and the Exclusion Act of 1924. He describes how JACL and the Nisei generation later undermined the prejudice that had driven these laws.
• Perspectively Yours, by Jerry Enomoto, page 4. Jerry Enomoto previews preparations for the 14th Biennial JACL Convention in San Francisco, highlighting booklet editor Thelma Takeda and the 1000 Club shindig. He also reports on a luncheon with the San Francisco Women’s Auxiliary.
• Sou’Wester, by Tats Kushida, page 5. Tats Kushida reflects on the latest vandalism of the JACL office and offers wry commentary on Japanese wordplay and traffic court. He also describes Nisei and Issei voter registration efforts in Los Angeles.
• Very Truly Yours: Middle East Crisis Continued, by Harry K. Honda, page 7. Honda continues his analysis of the Middle East, examining the economic impact of the Suez Canal, oil dependence, and Arab resentment of Western religious influence. He concludes that understanding the region is essential to world peace.
• Washington Newsletter: Civil Rights Program, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Mike Masaoka explains the Eisenhower Administration’s six-point civil rights program, including a bipartisan civil rights commission and a Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department. He argues the program carries special meaning for Nisei who experienced wartime injustice.

Sports

• Nisei Olympics Scheduled June 3 at Kezar Stadium, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The fourth annual San Francisco JACL Olympics will be held at Kezar Stadium on June 3, with all California chapters urged to participate. The meet has been reorganized into A, B, and C divisions based on age and weight classifications.
• Tok Ishizawa Makes Bowling History, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tok Ishizawa became the first bowler to qualify for the Los Angeles Examiner Singles Classic championships for seven consecutive years. He rolled a 700 series to secure a spot in the Open class finals.

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