Proposition 13 repeals California’s Alien Land Law, 1956

Vol. 43, No. 19, November 9, 1956. 8 pages. View this issue

The repeal of California’s 1920 Alien Land Law led this eight-page issue. Voters approved Proposition 13 by roughly 2 to 1 in incomplete returns, and JACL national president Dr. Roy Nishikawa warned that the number of no votes showed the need for continued vigilance. Columns by Tats Kushida and Harry K. Honda looked back at the 1946 vote on Proposition 15, and Masao Satow’s national report praised the result. Another story reported that the Native Sons of the Golden West took no position before the election.

On the civil rights front, Sacramento attorney Nathaniel S. Colley of the NAACP urged JACL and Nisei to widen their fight beyond Japanese American concerns. Inside are Bill Hosokawa on Nisei voters, Larry S. Tajiri’s column on the actor Sojin Kamiyama, and Sam Ishikawa on hydrogen bomb testing.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Nisei Keeps Pace with America’s Growth, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 1. Past national JACL president George Inagaki has entered the mutual investment fund business as Southern California Nisei manager. The column argues that Nisei have rapidly advanced economically and socially in the postwar era and congratulates Inagaki on his new venture.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa observes that many new Japanese American voters took part in the 1956 presidential campaign and that candidates courted Nisei voters at JACL chapter meetings. He reflects on his own first presidential vote in 1936 and the growing Nisei voting bloc.
• Vagaries, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Bob Okazaki profiles Sojin Kamiyama, a pioneering Japanese actor who performed Shakespeare on the Meiji-era stage before becoming a Hollywood character actor. The column traces his theater career, his 1917 Hawaii tour, and his film roles.
• Very Truly Yours: Election Post-Mortem, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. Editor Harry Honda reflects on the lack of media coverage of Proposition 13 and reports the initial returns on the measure and on the election of Judge Saund to Congress. He plans to publish the full county breakdown and compare it with the 1946 Proposition 15 vote.
• Sou’Wester: No on 15, Yes on 13, by Tats Kushida, page 5. Kushida celebrates the defeat of the Alien Land Law via Proposition 13 but warns the margin was too close for comfort and that anti-Japanese sentiment persists. He compares the 1946 vote on Proposition 15 and credits JACL campaign work.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: The Savings Habit, by Henry Mori, page 7. Henry Mori describes joining a Christmas Club at the Sumitomo Bank and reflects on the difficulty of saving consistently. He also reports on progress of the Christmas Cheer drive, which had reached 31 percent of its goal.
• Washington Newsletter: Multi-Megaton Hydrogen Bomb Ban an Issue for All Americans, by Sam Ishikawa, page 8. Sam Ishikawa argues that hydrogen bomb testing is a vital issue and recounts the 1954 Lucky Dragon incident and Japanese reactions. He urges that the United States consider stopping multi-megaton tests to regain the initiative for peace.

National

• JACL, Nisei Urged to Widen Fight in Civil Rights Field by NAACP Official, page 1. Sacramento attorney Nathaniel S. Colley, president of the Central Area NAACP, challenged Nisei and JACL to take a more active role in human rights beyond issues specific to Japanese Americans. He spoke on minority housing and restrictive covenants at the No. Calif.-Western Nevada District Council meeting in Marysville.
• Prop. 13 Wins by 2 to 1 Margin; Calif. Alien Land Law Repealed, But Number of ‘Nays’ Sobering, page 1. California voters approved Proposition 13 repealing the 1920 Alien Land Law by roughly a 2-to-1 margin in incomplete returns. JACL national president Dr. Roy Nishikawa cautioned that the large number of no votes shows the need for continued vigilance.
• Plot of New WW2 Film Protested by Hawaiian Editor, page 1. Garden Island editor Mike Fern objected to the fictional plot of a film to be shot on Kauai that depicts disloyalty among local residents before Pearl Harbor. The film’s director revised the script to remove the fifth column activity by local residents.
• Hayakawa Retains Stand Nisei Social Groups as ‘Crutches’, page 2. Semanticist Dr. S.I. Hayakawa again declined an invitation to address a Nisei collegiate conference, reiterating his view that Nisei social organizations hinder integration. He argues such groups are crutches that should be discarded.
• Presidential Decree to Admit Almost All Japanese Orphans, page 3. A Presidential decree allows nearly all Japanese orphans adopted by American citizens to enter the United States this year outside the Refugee Relief Act quota. The Washington JACL office reported the new procedures and deadlines.
• Three More Refugee Farm Workers Quit Labor Camp, Complain Over Housing, page 3. Three Japanese refugee workers who came under the 1953 Refugee Relief Act walked out of the Iseki labor camp in Parlier, citing insufficient work. Camp operators denied threats of deportation and said the men had averaged 48 hours per week.

Community

• Akiji Yoshimura of Marysville Elected NC-WNDC Chairman, page 1. Akiji Yoshimura of Colusa, JACL sapphire pin awardee, was elected chairman of the No. Calif.-Western Nevada District Council and will serve on the National JACL board in 1957. Other district officers were also named at the quarterly meeting in Marysville.
• 300 Attend Marysville’s 21st Anniversary Fete, Honor Charter Members, page 4. The Marysville JACL chapter celebrated its 21st anniversary with a banquet attended by 300 persons and honored 24 charter members. Speakers reviewed JACL history and the progress Japanese Americans have made.
• Native Sons of Golden West Were Quiet During Pre-Election Weeks on Prop. 13, page 8. The Native Sons of the Golden West, which had long backed the alien land law, did not take a position on Proposition 13 before the election, according to an interview with grand secretary Harold Regan. JACL campaign coordinator Joe Grant Masaoka conducted the interview.

JACL

• Major Share of Postwar High Status of Nisei-Issei Goes to JACL, ADL Told, by Stanley S. Jacobs, page 1. An article in the National ADL Bulletin credits the JACL with a major share of the postwar advancement of Japanese Americans, recounting its wartime and postwar efforts. The author notes that discrimination persists in housing and some clubs.
• NAT’L Report: Masao Satow, by Masao Satow, page 4. National Director Masao Satow praises the success of Proposition 13 and comments on the NC-WNDC meeting, including Colley’s presentation on housing. He also discusses the new district chairman Akiji Yoshimura and the 1000 Club renewal drive.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Airman’s Bride Gets Citizenship Early, page 1. Mrs. Kimie Hayano became the first person granted citizenship at a ceremony in the Fresno federal court under a special provision allowing her to accompany her husband, Sgt. Itsuo Hayano, on transfer to Japan. The couple married in 1953.
• In Tribute, by Ben Nakao, page 7. Ben Nakao, president of the Washington D.C. JACL chapter, presented a poem at the Nisei Memorial Day rites at Arlington National Cemetery. The poem honors the Nisei soldiers who fought for freedom.

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