Chapter news and the 1960 election: Idaho’s Issei vote and PC with Membership

Vol. 51, No. 21, November 18, 1960. 8 pages. View this issue

The 1960 election and its aftermath ran through this eight-page issue. Mike Masaoka reviewed the results and called the defeat of the Washington alien land law repeal a disappointing sign of latent prejudice. Harry K. Honda wrote on the same defeat, and Bill Hosokawa looked at Seiji Horiuchi’s close loss in the Colorado state senate race. Front-page and back-page stories reported that an outdated Idaho constitutional provision still barred naturalized Chinese and Orientals from voting, though officials said it was ignored. Harry K. Honda also explained the PC with Membership plan, which will send the paper to every JACL household starting in January.

Other pages carried chapter and district news, including Reedley’s 25th anniversary and Issei Pioneer Night, a record 6,040 members in the Northern California-Western Nevada District Council, and Frank H. Hattori’s history of the JACL 1000 Club. Sports, a Christmas in Japan program in Chicago and a preview of the 1960 Holiday Issue round out the paper.

What’s in this issue

Community

• 1960 Holiday Issue begins to take form, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Preparations for the 1960 PC Holiday Issue are underway, with chapter reports, advertising, and greetings flowing in. Chapters are encouraged to submit photos and Issei stories for the special edition.
• PNW to meet Dec. 10-11 at Moses Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Northwest District Council will hold its fourth quarterly session at Moses Lake, Wash., with a dinner, plant tour, and business meeting. National JACL officials Mas Satow and Frank Hattori will attend.
• Sonoma County chapter sets pace in 1961 membership, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sonoma County JACL signed 179 members over a weekend membership drive, passing its halfway mark of 300. The chapter plans a fishing derby and Christmas party.
• Japanese may be taught at Ballico elementary school, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Ballico Elementary School Board is considering a foreign language program for fourth grade and up, possibly Japanese. The program would be the first of its kind in the county.
• Fishing derby fisherman from L.A. drowns, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kenneth Setsuo Iwata, 38, of Los Angeles drowned during the annual Cortez JACL fishing derby when strong winds capsized the boat. Three companions were rescued and his body was recovered the next morning.
• Moses Lake Nisei farmers pioneer in processing peppermint leaves for oil, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Five local farmers, including Nisei Tsugio and Kay Nakamura, operate the first mint still in Warden, Wash. The steam distillation plant processes peppermint into oil and plans to expand next year.
• Tomorrow night for Christmas Cheer benefit, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The East Los Angeles JACL chapter will hold a Christmas Cheer benefit dance at the Inglewood Country Club featuring the Lio Estrada orchestra. Proceeds support the Christmas Cheer fund.
• PC with Membership, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. The PC with Membership plan, mandated by the National Council, will send the Pacific Citizen to every JACL household starting in January. Chapters are asked to submit membership lists by Dec. 15.
• Contribution of Reedley Issei pioneers recalled at chapter’s 25th anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Over 200 gathered in Reedley to celebrate the chapter’s 25th anniversary and Issei Pioneer Night. Speakers recalled the early Japanese farmers who turned swampland into farmland, and keynote speaker Saburo Kido praised the Issei’s contributions.
• Corte Madera fishing derby fisherman from L.A. drowns, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kenneth Setsuo Iwata drowned during the Cortez JACL fishing derby when strong winds capsized the boat. His body was recovered, and he was a structural engineer and University of California alumnus.
• Jun Hatakeda heads Tulare County JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Jun Hatakeda was named 1961 president of the Tulare County JACL, with his cabinet to be installed at the Central California District Council convention on Dec. 4 in Fresno.
• Group-JACL to elect officers on Nov. 25, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The San Francisco Youth Group-JACL will hold its first election meeting on Nov. 25 at Japanese Methodist Church. The program includes speeches by Bill Hayashi and National Director Mas Satow.
• Sequoia JACL potluck supper for family tomorrow, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Sequoia JACL annual potluck supper for members and families will be held at the Palo Alto Buddhist Church. Entertainment and a general chapter gathering are planned.
• Drama editor Larry Tajiri revisits San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Larry Tajiri, drama editor of the Denver Post, visited San Francisco to interview stars of The Pleasure of Your Company. He is a former Pacific Citizen editor who served from 1942 to 1952.
• Cleveland JACL scholarship skit for benefit, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Cleveland JACL will present the Japanese fairy tale Urashima Taro at its third scholarship benefit program, Evening in Japan. The Sho-Joji dancers will also perform.
• West Fresno hit by Election Day voter challenges, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Local Democrats protested Republican poll watchers who challenged West Fresno minority voters on literacy grounds during the Nov. 8 election. Three voters were challenged at one polling place.

National

• Idaho law prohibits Issei vote, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An outdated Idaho constitutional provision still bars naturalized Chinese and Orientals from voting, though state officials say it is ignored. Federal law since 1952 removes racial barriers to naturalization and supersedes the state provision.
• Sonoma County JACL sets pace in membership drive, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Sonoma County JACL became the first chapter to turn in 1961 memberships under the PC with Membership plan. The national membership list will be used for January mailings of the Pacific Citizen.
• Seiji Horiuchi bid for seat fails, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Republican Seiji Horiuchi lost the Colorado state senate race in Adams County to incumbent Dr. J. William Wells by about 3,000 votes. Horiuchi led early but lost ground as the count progressed.
• Gov. Brown names Chuman delegate to White House meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Governor Brown named JACL National President Frank F. Chuman to California’s 100-man delegation to the White House Conference on Aging, held Jan. 9-12 in Washington, D.C. JACL had earlier held a conference on Issei aging.
• Congressman Inouye expresses thanks to mainlanders for support in campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Congressman Dan K. Inouye, re-elected with a record 134,429 votes in Hawaii, thanked the Bi-Partisan Volunteers on the mainland for their support. He said their assistance was crucial to his campaign.
• Idaho law prohibits Issei vote, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Idaho constitution’s provision barring Chinese and Orientals from voting is outdated and ignored, according to state officials. Federal law supersedes it, and Idaho’s other voter restrictions are also described.

Obituaries

• Retired clergyman dies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Rev. Dr. Herbert H. Gowen, former rector of St. Peter’s Japanese Mission, died at age 96 in Bainbridge. He taught Oriental Studies at the University of Washington from 1909 to 1944.
• Father Hugh T. Lavery stricken, remembered for assisting evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Father Hugh T. Lavery, former Los Angeles Maryknoll priest, suffered a stroke that impaired his health and sight. He is remembered for his service to the Japanese American community, especially during the evacuation years.

Arts & Entertainment

• Christmas in Japan show slated at Chicago museum, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Christmas in Japan, produced by Mrs. Mary Sabusawa, will be presented at the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago on Nov. 27. The program is part of the Christmas Around the World festivities.
• Japan Centennial trade exposition to be staged under huge tent in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Japan Centennial Trade Exposition marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce, held in a tent on the Ambassador Hotel lawn Nov. 16-22. Exhibits include ceramics, electronics, and a Nagoya display.
• Cite press photography directed by S.F. Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The City College of San Francisco student publication The Guardsman earned an excellent rating for press photography directed by Masaru Wadama. Wadama plans to study at UCLA and hopes to work in press or motion pictures.

Commentary

• An eye on another election, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Honda previews Japan’s Diet election amid rioting and leftist opposition, noting the stakes for constitutional government and the U.S.-Japan security treaty. He also comments on the defeat of the Washington alien land law repeal.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa reviews Seiji Horiuchi’s close loss in the Colorado state senate race and notes Japanese royalty payments reversing as American firms license Japanese discoveries. He also highlights a Nisei woman’s UN leadership in Albuquerque.
• On cocktails and deportment, by Richard Akagi, page 4. Akagi offers humorous observations on the social art of cocktail parties, the crowding, and the awkward dynamics of attending them. He concludes by praising the Detroit chapter for listing social arts as a program topic.
• Election summary, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka reviews the 1960 election, noting general satisfaction with Kennedy’s victory and Democratic gains in Congress. He calls the defeat of the Washington alien land law repeal a disappointing sign of latent prejudice.

JACL

• Thousand Club history 1947-1960, by Frank H. Hattori, page 4. Hattori traces the founding of the JACL 1000 Club in 1947 to support National Headquarters through $25 annual contributions. He urges members to help reach the goal of 2,000 paid-up members.
• Midwest District Council sets 1000 Club goals, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Representatives of the Midwest District Council unanimously accepted fair share 1000 Club goals beyond the national 84 percent quota. The council also raised its district head tax and began planning for the 1961 convention in Minneapolis.
• Jacler forms own district council group, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Over 70 youth from six Intermountain chapters organized IDC for Youth at a Salt Lake City conference. Fumi Watanabe was elected chairman, and National President Frank Chuman addressed the gathering.
• Social Security subject of DTLA luncheon meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Downtown Los Angeles JACL chapter will host George Nakamura of the Social Security Administration at a luncheon to explain recent changes in Social Security law. A question-and-answer period will follow.
• Membership drive and 1000 Club notes, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Marysville JACL signed 178 members in one weekend, representing 95 households for PC subscriptions. National membership leaflets and youth membership cards are also being prepared.
• NC-WNDC hits all-time membership of 6,040; Henry Kato elected district chairman, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Northern California-Western Nevada District Council reached a record 6,040 members at its quarterly meeting in Modesto. Henry Kato was elected chairman, and assemblyman Gordon Winton praised JACL at the banquet.
• Pacific Southwest District seeks uniform system to determine Chapter of Year, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Pacific Southwest District Council appointed Kango Kunitsugu to lead a committee for a uniform method of selecting the Chapter of the Year. The council also planned a February chapter clinic and discussed a possible new chapter in San Gabriel Valley.

Sports

• Mitzi Fukui bowls 300 game, third game in West Coast annals, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mitzi Fukui, a member of the Marysville JACL, bowled a 300 game in the Women’s Commercial League at Yuba City Bowl on Nov. 10. She became the third woman on the West Coast to roll a 300 game.
• Selma JACLer wins Fowler club fish derby, by P.C. Staff, page 6. George Abe of Selma won the Fowler Sportsman Club derby on Nov. 6 with a 24 lb. 8 oz. bass. Over 125 fishermen competed in the event.

Military & Veterans

• Army Reserve Hall dedicated to Pvt. Roy L. Miyasaki, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The new Army Reserve Hall in Rexburg, Idaho, was dedicated on Veterans Day to Pvt. Roy L. Miyasaki, who was killed in Korea and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The hall honors his heroism.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.