The 14th National JACL Convention and the push to repeal Prop. 13’s Alien Land Law

Vol. 43, No. 11, September 14, 1956. 12 pages. View this issue

The 14th Biennial National JACL Convention in San Francisco was the main subject of this 12-page issue. Dr. Roy Nishikawa, the incoming national president, wrote about taking over from George Inagaki, and convention chairman Jerry Enomoto looked back at the event. Masao Satow reported on the National Council sessions, where a budget of $83,405 was approved. Speeches by Maxwell Rabb and Edward J. Ennis ran in full, along with a report that President Eisenhower’s silver chalice would go to his museum in Abilene.

The front page also followed the campaign for Proposition 13, which would repeal the 1920 Alien Land Law, with word of the California Farm Bureau Federation’s endorsement. Elsewhere are Bill Hosokawa on two Japanese books, Larry S. Tajiri on school integration in the South, Mike Masaoka on temporary Japanese farm workers, and baseball and chapter news.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Help Me to Fill Those Big Shoes, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 1. The incoming national JACL president reflects on the 14th Biennial National Convention in San Francisco, praising the smooth budget adoption and the work of convention chairman Jerry Enomoto. He pledges to serve members with humility and asks them to help fill the shoes left by outgoing president George Inagaki.
• Silver Chalice to Be Part of Ike’s Museum, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Eisenhower wrote to Dr. Roy Nishikawa that the silver chalice presented by JACL will eventually be displayed at his Abilene museum. Harry Osaki, the Pasadena silversmith who made it, also received a letter of praise from the President.

Incarceration & Redress

• California Farm Bureau Endorses Prop. 13 to Repeal Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Farm Bureau Federation’s board voted to endorse Proposition 13 on the November ballot to repeal the 1920 Alien Land Law. William H. Enomoto reported that county farm bureaus including San Diego, Kings and Tulare have also backed the measure.
• NCWNDC Calls Special Session to Discuss Area Campaign for Prop. 13, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The NCWNDC executive board will meet to plan its area campaign supporting Proposition 13. Chapters have been asked to secure endorsements and enlist key groups for the repeal measure.
• Nisei Statistician Notes More Women Over 50 Dying of Heart Disease Lately, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Iwao M. Moriyama of the U.S. Public Health Service examines why more women die of heart disease after age 50 while men still die at higher rates. Experts link the trend to hormonal protection that ends at menopause and to changing lifestyles.

Community

• San Diego JACL Honors Sen. Leroy A. Wright, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Diego chapter saluted the late Sen. Leroy A. Wright, one of five California legislators who opposed the 1913 Alien Land Law. His grandson and namesake survives him in San Diego.
• Florida Nisei With Three College Degrees Wins Medical Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Charles Ozaki of Eau Gallie, Florida, a soil scientist and 442nd veteran, won a state-wide four-year scholarship to the University of Florida School of Medicine. The award was based on civic activities, religious involvement and intellectual ability.
• JAYs Install Second Cabinet at Santa Ana, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hiro Shinoda was inducted as president of the Orange Coast JAYs, with Bill Marumoto retiring from the post. Several scholarships and awards were presented at the installation dinner.
• Scout Richard Found Safe After Mount Rainier Search, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A lost Boy Scout was found alive in a ravine at Mount Rainier after a multi-day search involving hundreds of volunteers. Paul Uno located the boy, and Dr. Kelly Yamada coordinated the Nisei recruitment effort.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: Nacirema’s 3rd and 4th Productions, by Henry Mori, page 11. Nacirema Productions, led by David Yokozeki and Marvin Segal, reports success with its films Sierra Stranger and Hot-Rod Girl. The company plans two more productions and a future horror film, while Nisei Week festival events also turned a profit.
• Sonoma County JACL Launches Chapter Newsletter, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The Sonoma County JACL debuted its four-page newsletter, the Sonoco JACLer, with chapter and community news. Staff hope to cover future costs through local advertising.

Commentary

• Organization Stand on Tokyo Rose Hearing to Be Considered, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A special JACL committee led by Edward J. Ennis will study the Tokyo Rose deportation matter and recommend action. Other attorneys named to the committee include Frank Chuman, Harold Gordon, William Mimbu and Sho Sato.
• From the Frying Pan: Togo or Noma, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa uses a parable of Taro and Fat to critique Shigenori Togo’s memoirs, which blame FDR for provoking Japan. He contrasts this with Hiroshi Noma’s novel Zone of Emptiness, which denounces Japanese militarism.
• Speech by Edward Ennis on Japanese American Political Expression, by Edward J. Ennis, page 4. Ennis contends that Japanese Americans have earned the right, like other minorities, to express sympathy for the homeland of their ancestors and to urge fair trade policies with Japan. He stresses that loyalty proven through military service entitles them to such voice.
• Hope in New South, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 5. Tajiri examines the violent resistance to school integration following the 1954 Supreme Court ruling and the Negro students who became guinea pigs in the process. He finds hope in peaceful integration in border states and the courage of southern officials and citizens.
• Like the First Kiss: A First Convention Remembered, by Kats Kunitsugu, page 10. Kunitsugu recounts her first JACL national convention with humor, describing the mixers, business sessions and social events. She is impressed by the new blood and leadership potential within the organization.
• Washington Newsletter: Temporary Japan Workers, by Mike Masaoka, page 11. Masaoka describes the temporary agricultural worker program bringing young Japanese farmers to California under contracts guaranteeing prevailing wages and housing. He presents arguments on both sides and urges Japanese Americans to uphold equal treatment principles.
• Letters: More Fowlerites, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Members of the Fowler JACL thank Central California District chairman Jin Ishikawa for an article encouraging Nisei civic participation. They name several local Nisei active in civic and public organizations and hope to see a Nisei mayor one day.

National

• Nat’l JACL Convention Coverage Noted in Top Atlantic Seaboard Newspapers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Washington Post ran a front-page release on Maxwell Rabb’s speech to the JACL convention, in which Rabb said President Eisenhower would again seek a more lenient immigration law. The New York Times also featured the convention’s principal speakers.
• Nat’l Director’s Report: National Council Sessions, by Masao Satow, page 3. The National Council approved the next biennium budget of $83,405 and adopted policy matters including civil rights, housing and renunciants. Officers for 1957-58 were elected, with Dr. Roy Nishikawa named national president.
• Concluding Part of Address by White House Aide, by Maxwell M. Rabb, page 3. Rabb argues that American treatment of minorities affects its standing with emerging nations in Asia and Africa. He concludes that the administration is committed to civil rights and immigration reform.
• Racial Segregation and Immigration Policy Issues for JACL, by Edward J. Ennis, page 4. Ennis discusses whether JACL should join the fight against school segregation and how the group should act on immigration legislation. He argues JACL must proceed carefully to preserve its gains for Japanese aliens.
• Changing Perspectives: Post Mortem on the 14th Biennial, by Jerry Enomoto, page 9. Convention chairman Jerry Enomoto reviews the events of the 14th Biennial, praising the committees responsible for the Opening Ceremonies, mixers, Whingding, Blackberry Farm outing and Sayonara Ball. He offers thanks to the many volunteers who made the convention a success.
• Concluding Address by Edward J. Ennis on Changing Perspectives, by Edward J. Ennis, page 10. Ennis concludes his keynote by describing JACL’s wartime cooperation and its legislative successes. He urges Japanese Americans to remain vigilant and politically active to secure their place in American society.

Military & Veterans

• Los Angeles Nisei Trading Wins Lodi Baseball Title, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Los Angeles Nisei Trading captured the 1956 California Nisei baseball title at Lodi over Labor Day weekend. Pitchers Ben Kimura, Herb Isono and Ned Iwakiri combined on the staff while Ray Tekawa led the hitters.

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