Election results, the MIS reunion and the Pacific Citizen’s voice

Vol. 63, No. 20, November 11, 1966. 6 pages. View this issue

The November 1966 elections shaped much of this six-page issue. Washington voters narrowly approved SJR 20, ending the state’s alien land law after two earlier defeats, reported by Elmer Ogawa. California’s Proposition 15, on voting without the literacy test for naturalized Issei, was trailing in early returns. Mike Masaoka wrote that Republican gains made civil rights and immigration bills harder to pass. In a column on the front page, Roy Uno described the Pacific Citizen as the JACL’s strongest voice, and National President Jerry Enomoto invited members to send him ideas and gripes.

Also inside: plans for the MIS 25th Anniversary reunion in San Francisco, a call for stories on the wartime incarceration for the Holiday Issue, and retired Chief Justice Phil Gibson’s remarks on the evacuation. A history of Issei grape growers in Lodi appears too, along with columns by Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani and Alan Kumamoto.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• JACL’s Voice—the PC, by Roy Uno, page 1. Uno argues the Pacific Citizen is the JACL’s strongest voice, binding chapters nationwide into a cohesive unit. He also warns that the publication must plan for its future readership among Sansei and the changing needs of the membership.
• Ideas and Gripes, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. National President Enomoto describes upcoming meetings with national committee chairmen and board members to discuss youth programs and other issues. He invites JACL members to write him with ideas or complaints.
• Nisei Angle: From the Firing Line, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa reports on Nisei living and working in Tokyo, including journalists and business executives who have built careers in Japan. He notes that Nisei have overcome early hesitancy from Japanese and American employers through ability and perseverance.
• Top Brass, by Alan Kumamoto, page 4. Kumamoto praises National Jr. JACL Youth Council Chairman Russ Obana for leading efforts to reorganize the National Youth Council. He also reports on new Jr. JACL groups and upcoming youth activities in the district.
• Reversal, by Dick Kuroiwa, page 4. Kuroiwa describes a motor trip through Europe into Yugoslavia, including a snowy mountain pass that stranded his car. He reflects on Yugoslavia’s position as a bridge between East and West.
• East Wind: Lopon Torimasu!, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani recounts sparring with his sons in judo and playful wrestling at home, and recalls his mother’s judo challenges when he was a boy. He reflects with humor on aging in the household.
• Campaign Subsidies, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The editorial praises Congress’s new plan to publicly finance presidential campaigns through a tax checkoff. It suggests the logic could extend to congressional races and notes that the Pacific Citizen accepts paid political advertising without endorsing candidates.
• Reapportionment, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The editorial discusses California’s legislative reapportionment under the one-man, one-vote rule. It suggests JACL consider proportional representation for chapter delegates to the National Council.
• Japanese Proverbs, by Don Estes, page 6. Estes surveys Japanese proverbs, which come from native tradition, Chinese classics and Buddhist texts, and Western sources. He shows how they are used in everyday speech and argument.
• Would You Believe…?, by Guest Columnist, page 6. A satirical guest column imagines glimpses of 1995 through a device called the Hole of Tomorrow. Scenes include a census of Japanese Americans and changing media portrayals.
• Breaking Up a Ghetto, by Phil Hayasaka, page 6. Hayasaka examines housing segregation in Seattle’s Central Area and the failure of voluntary open housing efforts after the 1964 legislation was defeated. He describes an Urban League proposal that fell short of funding.

JACL

• Evacuation Theme for Holiday Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1966 Holiday Issue will feature in-depth stories about the wartime evacuation of Japanese Americans to relocation centers 25 years earlier. Personal vignettes are also welcomed, with deadlines set for stories and chapter advertising.
• Jerry Enomoto to Keynote Central Cal District Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National President Jerry Enomoto will be the featured speaker at the Central California JACL District Council convention in Fresno in December. Several national officers and youth leaders will also attend, with sessions covering budget, the Pacific Citizen, and civil rights.
• JACL Participating in National Conference on Draft, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Roger Nikaido and Norman Ishimoto will represent JACL at the National Conference on the Draft in Washington, D.C. The conference aims to examine shortcomings of the Selective Service System and propose changes.

Military & Veterans

• Coordinator of House Tribute to Nisei Veterans to Be Guest at MIS Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. George P. Miller and his wife will be honored guests at the MIS 25th Anniversary reunion in San Francisco. The reunion program includes a luncheon, memorial service, and dedication of a historical marker at Crissy Field.

National

• SJR 20 Wins in Close Race, by Elmer Ogawa, page 1. Washington voters narrowly approved SJR 20, ending the state’s alien land law after two earlier defeats. State attorney general John O’Connell publicly endorsed the measure before the vote.
• Social Case Worker Appointed So. Calif. JACL Office Director, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jeffrey Yortio Matsui was appointed national associate director and regional director at the Southern California JACL office. A Hawaii native and Los Angeles social case worker, he brings a background in public assistance and JACL chapter involvement.
• Calif. Prop. 15 Trails 7 to 5 With 70 Pct. Reporting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Proposition 15, which would have let naturalized Issei vote without taking the literacy test, was trailing in early returns. JACL had urged newspapers to reconsider opposition to the measure.
• JACL Hopes for Civil Rights, Immigration Bills Dimmed, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Republican gains in the midterm elections are expected to make passage of Great Society, civil rights, and immigration legislation harder in the next Congress. A conservative coalition may control the House committees.

Community

• Calif. Flower Market Pays Off Huge Mortgage, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Issei-Nisei owned California Flower Market in San Francisco retired its $250,000 mortgage. The market was founded in 1912 by about 100 member growers.
• NC-WNDC Picks Tad Hirota as New Governor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The NC-WNDC district council elected Tad Hirota of Oakland as governor and approved its budget allocations. The council also voted a $250 contribution to the UC Berkeley Japanese student cooperative building fund.
• PSWDC Votes in Ron Shiozaki as District Head, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Southwest JACL District Council board elected Ronald Shiozaki of Gardena Valley as district governor at its Disneyland Hotel quarterly session. Board members and officers were also chosen for two-year terms.

In-Depth

• Issei First Planted Grapes in 1885, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lodi farmer Sam Funamura reported on the history of Japanese settlers in San Joaquin County, from early vineyard planting in the Acampo area to their current control of much of Lodi’s Flame Tokay grape crop. The account drew on interviews with elderly pioneers and covered alien land laws and the wartime evacuation.

Incarceration & Redress

• Retired Chief Justice Gibson Labels Evacuation as Black Page in History, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Retired California Chief Justice Phil Gibson received a JACL scroll honoring his judicial career and civil rights decisions. He called the wartime evacuation of Japanese Americans unconstitutional and a black page in the nation’s history.
• New Yorker Article on Evacuation Cited, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Edison Uno noted that a New Yorker profile of Los Angeles discussed the wartime evacuation and Japanese community history. He corrected the article’s claim that restitution paid about 25 percent, stating that evacuation claims were settled at about 10 cents on the dollar.

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.