Election week 1956: Prop. 13 and Dalip Singh Saund’s win

Vol. 43, No. 20, November 16, 1956. 8 pages. View this issue

The November 1956 elections ran through this eight-page issue. An editorial held up Rep.-elect Dalip Singh Saund as a living demonstration of American democracy, while Harry K. Honda’s column compared the results on Prop. 13 with Prop. 17, and Henry Mori credited JACL work for the repeal of the 1920 Alien Land Law. Chapter reports followed the vote, and local winners included Gordon H. Winton, Jr., elected to the California Assembly, and Robert T. Mizukami, elected to the new Fife, Washington city council.

Elsewhere are two Supreme Court stories: the ruling striking down Alabama’s bus segregation law, and the agreement to hear Mitsugi Nishikawa’s citizenship appeal. Bill Hosokawa wrote about a postcard from the Belgian Congo, and Larry S. Tajiri reviewed The Heike Story. Chapter installations, ski club history, and Hawaii election results fill out the pages.

What’s in this issue

National

  • World Sees American Democracy in Action, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep.-elect Dalip Singh Saund’s election as the first Asian to sit in Congress is presented as a living demonstration of American democracy. The editorial notes that his victory came from a state with a history of prejudice toward Asians.
  • ‘Jim Crow’ Finally Buried in Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court struck down Alabama’s law requiring racial segregation on intrastate buses, completing a long fight against transportation discrimination. The editorial hails the decision as the final burial of Jim Crow and a step toward equality.
  • Nisei Evacuated from Middle East, Says Seattle Wife, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Prof. Gordon K. Hirabayashi, teaching at the American University in Cairo, was evacuated from Egypt after the outbreak of war there. His wife reported that he had earlier resisted the wartime draft and served time for violating curfew.
  • U.S. Supreme Court Invalidates Intrastate ‘Jim Crow’ Bus Laws, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down an Alabama law requiring racial segregation on intrastate buses, upholding a special federal panel’s ruling. The decision followed a Montgomery bus boycott and affects similar state laws in eight other states.
  • Supreme Court to Hear Nisei Citizenship Case, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal of Mitsugi Nishikawa, an American-born Japanese who lost citizenship after serving in the Japanese army. The attorneys said the decision could affect thousands of American-born Japanese conscripted during the war.

Community

  • Longtime JACLer Wins 31st District Seat in Sacramento, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gordon H. Winton, Jr., a longtime JACL member and 1000 Club member, was elected to the California Assembly from the 31st District. An attorney who handled evacuation claims for Issei and Nisei, he won by wide margins in Merced and Madera counties.
  • Bob Mizukami Wins City Council Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert T. Mizukami was elected to the five-man Fife, Washington city council when the community incorporated. A longtime Puyallup Valley JACL leader, he finished third among five candidates.
  • Livingston-Merced CL President Finds Newspaper Tally on Prop. 13 ‘All Wet’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lester Yoshida reported that the earlier newspaper tally showing Merced County opposing Prop. 13 was erroneous, with his own count showing a clear Yes majority. The chapter had distributed over 8,000 brochures supporting repeal of the Alien Land Law.
  • California Flower Growing Industry Honors Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Several Issei pioneers of the flower growing industry were honored at a buffet dinner at the new California Flower Market Terminal in San Francisco. Over 300 attended the event celebrating the founders who built a thriving business for Nisei.
  • Unofficial Tally Still Shows 2-1 Favoring Prop. 13, by P.C. Staff, page 1. With 95 percent of precincts counted, the unofficial tally compiled by the Pacific Citizen and Japanese-language dailies showed Prop. 13 leading roughly 2-1. Only Shasta County showed a majority of no votes.
  • Deep-Rooted Racial Prejudice in Housing Noted in San Francisco Bay Area Survey, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Commission on Race and Housing survey directed by Harry Kitano found deep-rooted racial prejudice in Bay Area real estate practices. It also found Nisei making progress in education and occupation, though many were confined to older homes.
  • Dr. Moriyama Addresses California Health Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Iwao Moriyama, a U.S. Public Health Service vital statistician, lectured at the University of California and addressed state health officials. A dinner in his honor was arranged by Susumu Nakamura of the university.
  • Sacramento Nisei Scout Troop Wins Top Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei Boy Scout Troop 250 of Sacramento was named the best troop in the Fort Sutter district of the Golden Empire Council. The troop is sponsored by the Nisei Memorial VFW Post and led by scoutmaster Larry Takai.
  • Hagiwara to Address St. Louis Inaugural, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The St. Louis JACL will install its 1957 cabinet on December 8 with Midwest District Council chairman Abe Hagiwara as guest speaker. The chapter also held a successful talent show in October.
  • Fowler Elects Two Presidents This Year, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Fowler JACL adopted a president-elect system, naming Frank Sakohira as 1957 president and Mikio Uchiyama as president-elect to assume the post in 1958. The new officers will be installed at the Central California District Council conference.
  • Parlier JACL Elects Harry Kubo Prexy, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Harry Kubo was elected 1957 president of the Parlier JACL, succeeding Ralph Kimoto. The chapter also explained the state propositions to Issei voters and distributed 800 brochures on Prop. 13.
  • San Francisco JACL Announces 18 Nominees for Board of Governors, by Katherine Reyes, page 4. The San Francisco JACL nominations committee announced 18 candidates for the board of governors, with mail elections to follow. Ten new members will serve two-year terms alongside ten holdover board members.
  • Nishioka Elected Idaho Falls Head, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Joseph Nishioka was elected president of the Idaho Falls JACL at a meeting in the JACL Hall. The new cabinet will be formally installed at a dinner in late November.
  • Pasadena Benefit Movie for Prop. 13 Successful, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pasadena JACL held a benefit movie night on November 3 to raise funds for the Prop. 13 campaign. The chapter also repaired windows at the local Japanese Community Center.
  • St. Louis Chapter Slates Annual Fall Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The St. Louis JACL scheduled its annual Fall Festival on November 17 at Artist’s Guild with games and a menu of Japanese foods. Cabinet members led by Dick Henmi are organizing the event.
  • Salt Lakers Mailed ’57 Cabinet Ballot, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Salt Lake City JACL mailed ballots to members for 17 candidates for 1957 cabinet offices. The ballots are numbered, and the chapter inaugural dinner-dance is scheduled for November 30.
  • Narcotics Subject of S.F. Chapter Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 4. San Francisco JACL members will hear state narcotics inspector Clyde Carpenter speak on narcotics and its effect on individuals at the November 30 meeting. The program is open to the public.
  • Rokka Ski Club Marks 20th Anniversary, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Ogawa recalls the 20th anniversary of the Seattle Rokka Ski Club, founded by a small group of skiers including Nobi Kano. He describes the club’s early competitions and the decline in membership as Nisei skiers joined integrated ski schools.
  • Yokozeki Scores Ace at Fox Hill’s Second Hole, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dave Yokozeki, a movie producer and attorney, scored a hole-in-one with a nine-iron on the 110-yard second hole at Fox Hills on November 3. He played with Dr. George Abe, Sho Iino, and Albie Nakazawa.
  • Christmas Cheer Passes $700 Mark, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Christmas Cheer received $83 more this week, bringing its 1956 total to $705.58, or 35 percent of its $2,000 goal. The fund provides cash, canned goods, and Japanese staples to local needy families.
  • Hawaii’s Election Results, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Election results from Hawaii’s November 6 general election are tabulated for 54 Nisei candidates across territorial, county, and city offices. Winners and losers are listed by district.
  • Los Angeles Newsletter: Southland Elections, by Henry Mori, page 7. Mori reviews Southland election results, noting incumbents such as Senator Thomas Kuchel and Congressman Patrick Hillings who won re-election. He also credits JACL efforts for the repeal of the 1920 Alien Land Law.

Commentary

  • Mail from Congo, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa reports a postcard from Toge Fujihira, a Nisei documentary filmmaker writing from the Belgian Congo. The column also covers Japanese industrial expansion into Brazil, including cotton mills, automobile plants, and a proposed steel mill.
  • The Heike Story, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Tajiri reviews Eiji Yoshikawa’s novel The Heike Story, a modern adaptation of the 13th-century epic Heike Monogatari. He praises the translation and notes that Knopf and other publishers are bringing more Japanese literature to American readers.
  • Make It Short, by Tats Kushida, page 4. Kushida offers a quick roundup of JACL news, including cooperation with MGM on promotion of The Teahouse of the August Moon and a Look magazine essay on minority students. Other items cover a religious visitor who sought an audience with President Eisenhower and gifts of Idaho apples.
  • Prop. 13 vs. Prop. 17, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. Honda compares the statewide results on Prop. 13 with Prop. 17, a measure to remove obsolete constitutional language on the judiciary. He also explains how the Pacific Citizen corrected an erroneous AP tally that had shown a sharp drop in the Prop. 13 lead.
  • Temporary Farm Labor Program Well Suited to Boost Goodwill, by Sam Ishikawa, page 8. Ishikawa argues that the temporary agricultural worker program from Japan can improve U.S.-Japanese relations if administered carefully. He urges Nisei to help interpret American life to the visiting workers and host them in their communities.

Military & Veterans

  • Army Medical Officer Meets Old Family Friend in Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Capt. William M. Sugiyama, an Army medical officer, met columnist Tamotsu Murayama by chance at Tokyo Army Hospital. The two discovered a friendship dating back 25 years to their work together on a San Francisco Japanese-language newspaper.

Sports

  • Ralph Yoshida Excluded from Olympic Team Despite Lifting Title, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaiian weightlifter S-Sgt. Ralph Yoshida, who won the lightweight division at the U.S. Olympic final tryouts, was not named to the team. Yoshida and sports editor George Yoshinaga argued that the selection committee had been unjust.

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