Kageyama impeachment move, the end of the bowling ban, and Alien Land law rulings

Vol. 30, No. 19, May 13, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

Richard Kageyama, a Honolulu supervisor, faced a grand jury probe and a possible impeachment move after admitting past Communist Party membership and refusing to resign, as Lawrence Nakatsuka reported. Also on the front page, the American Bowling Congress voted on May 12 to repeal its 1916 white-males-only rule, and Mike Masaoka met Japanese official Torao Ushiroku on the treatment of Issei. The House passed a $5,000 bill for the family of Paul Takemura, killed in a 1943 cave-in at Amache relocation center, and Dillon Myer was sworn in as Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

Page 2 covered the California Supreme Court agreeing to hear the Masaoka family’s Alien Land law case. Masaoka also urged statehood for Hawaii. Page 3 reported on Hawaiian statehood hearings and a Justice Department ruling on evacuation claims. Pages 6 and 7 carry sports, including Wally Yonamine and Evelyn Kawamoto, and Elmer R. Smith’s “Do You Know?” column looks back at the JACL in the 1930s.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Kageyama Faces Impeachment Move After Refusing to Resign as Honolulu Supervisor, by By LAWRENCE NAKATSUKA, page 1. Richard Kageyama, Honolulu supervisor, faces a grand jury probe and possible impeachment for alleged perjury after admitting past Communist Party membership. His refusal to resign has intensified calls for his removal from office.
• Nisei Enumerators Used in Seattle Census Operation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle census supervisor Stanley Atwood praised the census operation as an example of good race relations. Nisei and other minority enumerators reported no discrimination or prejudice.
• Gardena Valley Chapter Holds Reorganization Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Gardena Valley JACL reorganized at a well-attended meeting and launched a 1950 membership drive. A slate of officers will be presented at a June 5 election meeting.
• California Girl Wins Scholarship at Ohio Hospital, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yuriko Lillian Miyachi of San Mateo received a $500 scholarship as outstanding student nurse at Christ Hospital School of Nursing in Cincinnati. She plans to pursue further nursing studies toward a bachelor’s degree.
• Name Speaker for Snake River JACL Graduation Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Snake River JACL will honor high school and college graduates at a banquet featuring Rev. Albert Rostron as speaker, followed by a dance. Graduates from Weiser, Fruitland, Nyssa, Ontario and Vale are listed.
• Boys’ Day, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Francisco celebrated Japan’s Boys’ Day at the Buchanan Street YMCA as part of a youth agency fund-raising drive. Sword dances and judo exhibitions were featured.
• Nisei Will Be Ordained in Chicago Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Michael Seichi Yasutake, a Seattle-born Nisei, will be ordained to the Episcopal diaconate in Chicago. He will become curate at St. Paul’s parish and the church plans to train more Nisei clergy.
• Ten Nisei Named to Honor Groups at Illinois Tech, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ten Nisei students were initiated into honorary societies at the Illinois Institute of Technology Honors Assembly. Societies included Chi Epsilon, Eta Kappa Nu, Phi Eta Sigma, and Tau Beta Pi.
• Chicago Chapter Protests Transfer of Washington Pools, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chicago JACL joined Midwest organizations in telegraphing Illinois congressmen to oppose transferring D.C. swimming pools to commissioners. The chapter argued the move was intended to enforce segregation.
• Hawaiian Delegation Reports Race Issue Secondary at Recent Washington Hearings, by By LAWRENCE NAKATSUKA, page 3. Hawaiian statehood backers reported that racial issues were secondary to Communism and homesteading at Washington hearings. Senator Butler reportedly moderated his earlier objections, and the bill is expected to advance.
• Midwest Area Meet Planned in Cincinnati, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Cincinnati JACL is preparing to host the Midwest JACL district council meeting on June 3 and 4 with activities for booster delegates. Planned events include a Taft Museum tour and baseball games.
• Nisei Takes Editorship of School Paper, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nancy Ishizaki was named editor of the West Rockford high school paper, the Owl. She is one of 14 straight-A students and a member of Quill and Scroll.
• Detroit to Pick Queen Candidate, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Detroit JACL is holding a queen contest to select a candidate for the Midwest district council meeting in Cincinnati. The winner will receive an all-expense paid trip.
• Nisei Designers Express Interest in Convention Show, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dress manufacturers and fashion editors showed interest in the Tea-Fashion Show planned for the National JACL Convention on September 29. Chapters are urged to send designer creations.
• Kanamori Will Head ADC Fund Drive of Ventura Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tadashi Kanamori will lead the Ventura County JACL’s 1950 ADC fund drive beginning May 15. He will be assisted by a committee of chapter members.
• JACL Can Spearhead Fight for Minorities, Akagi Told, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Milwaukee’s Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights consulted with JACL Midwest representative Richard Akagi on minority problems. A meeting with various agencies was proposed for May 23.
• Nisei to Dance at Chicago Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Haruko and Tomeko Uyeda and their students will perform at the Chicago Blossomtime Festival in Grant Park. Multiple ethnic groups will participate in the festival.
• Akagi Is Feted at Dinner Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Richard Akagi was guest of the Detroit JACL at a dinner celebrating the chapter’s membership drive, which brought membership to 155. He spoke about the evacuation claims bill and the national convention.
• Chicago JACL Will Hold Bridge Classes at Ellis Center, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Chicago JACL announced bridge classes open to the public at the Ellis Center, meeting Wednesday evenings for eight weeks beginning May 17. Dr. William Hiura will instruct.
• Chicago Wedding, by P.C. Staff, page 7. May Sakaizawa married Dr. Henry K. Hashioka at First Baptist Church in Chicago on April 2. The Rev. Jitsui Morikawa officiated at the double-ring ceremony.
• Landscape Artist Helps Make Oriental Garden in Brooklyn, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Frank Okamura tends the Japanese garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which opened late this year due to cold spring weather. He describes the garden’s symbolism and the care needed for its trees and lake.
• Saucer-ites Enliven Initiation Rites of South Alameda JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Southern Alameda County JACL held an initiation of new members with comedic guest performers and refreshments. The evening concluded with bingo.
• Bob Mukai Wins Nomination for Utah School Post, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Bob Mukai of Ogden was selected as a finalist for second vice president of the University of Utah student body. He is a member of the varsity debate team and has wrestled for two years.
• Dudley Yatabe Named to Honor Group at College, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dudley Yatabe, son of Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe, was named to Phi Eta Sigma at Northwestern University. He is an accomplished composer and musician who once toured with his father promoting Japanese resettler relations.

JACL

• JACL Will Offer Scholarships to Encampment for Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL will sponsor scholarships for the National Encampment for Citizenship, a youth democracy program held June 26 to August 4 in New York. Applicants must be aged 18 to 25 and sponsored by local JACL chapters by June 1.
• JACL Heads Hail Lifting of Bowling Ban, by P.C. Staff, page 7. JACL President Hito Okada and National Director Masao Satow praised the ABC’s decision to rescind its ban on non-Caucasians. Satow recommended that JACL members join their local ABC associations.
• Attend P-TA Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Mrs. Ben Nagai and Mrs. Henry Maquire represented Mitchell-Union P-TA at the state P-TA convention in Santa Cruz. More than 3,000 official delegates attended.
• Do You Know? Anti-Nisei Discrimination Fought by JACL in 1930s, by By ELMER R. SMITH, page 7. The 1934 National JACL Convention in San Francisco passed resolutions condemning communism and established the National Council structure. The organization also fought discriminatory legislation and dual citizenship problems.
• West Coast JACL Group Backs Sakada, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Pacific Southwest District Council nominated Dr. Randolph Sakada for national JACL president and Frank Chuman for first vice president. Other national office nominations were also announced.

National

• Bowling Congress Drops Ban Against Non-Whites, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The American Bowling Congress voted overwhelmingly on May 12 to repeal its 1916 white-males-only membership rule. The change followed lawsuits and pressure from civil rights groups including JACL.
• Japanese Official Talks With Masaoka on Issei Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Torao Ushiroku of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with JACL ADC legislative director Mike Masaoka to discuss treatment of Japanese aliens in the United States and Hawaii. They reviewed both wartime and present conditions.
• ADC Supports U.S. Move for Genocide Ban, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL ADC joined about 50 national organizations in urging the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to report out the Genocide Convention for ratification. Mike Masaoka argued that mass murder is a concern for all nations.
• California Supreme Court Will Hear State’s Appeal to Masaoka Case Decision, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The California Supreme Court agreed to hear the state’s appeal of a ruling that the Alien Land law is unconstitutional in the Masaoka family case. The case will bypass the State Court of Appeals.
• Supreme Court May Be Asked to Rule on Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A California appellate court ruled the Alien Land law invalid because the UN Charter takes precedence over state law, drawing national attention. Attorneys for Sei Fujii say they will take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.
• Masaoka Urges Statehood for Hawaii as Recognition for Wartime Loyalty, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mike Masaoka told the Senate Interior Committee that immediate Hawaiian statehood would honor the wartime loyalty of Island residents. He argued that denying statehood over population concerns would damage American credibility in Asia.
• Omnibus Bill Will Be Studied by Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National Civil Liberties Clearing House formed a three-man subcommittee including Mike Masaoka to study the McCarran Omnibus bill. The subcommittee will analyze the bill and related reports from member organizations.
• State Senator Asks Thomas, Watkins for Walter Bill Action, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Utah State Senator Newell Knight urged Utah’s U.S. senators to push the Walter resolution for Issei naturalization. He argued Issei families deserved citizenship given the wartime sacrifices of Nisei soldiers.
• Shigeo Wakamatsu Nominated by JACL Recognitions Group, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The National Recognitions Committee nominated Shigeo Wakamatsu of Chicago for recognition. He chairs the National Membership Committee and led the Chicago chapter to over 1,000 members.

Incarceration & Redress

• Dillon Myer Takes Over Indian Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former WRA head Dillon Myer was sworn in as Commissioner of Indian Affairs, with Mike Masaoka attending at the invitation of Interior Secretary Oscar Chapman. The JACL ADC endorsed Myer for his record on minority issues.
• House Passes Bill Awarding Damages for Death of Youth in War Relocation Center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House passed a bill awarding $5,000 to the family of Paul Takemura, killed in a 1943 cave-in at Amache relocation center. It is the first known private bill awarding damages for physical injury in a relocation camp.
• JACL Protests Jim Crow Policy in Washington Pools, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Washington JACL chapter and JACL ADC protested a House bill transferring D.C. swimming pools to commissioners who would maintain segregation. The Interior Department had opened pools to all races.
• Justice Department Rules Evacuees May Be Paid for Losses from Forced Sales, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Justice Department ruled that evacuees may claim compensation for losses on forced sales of property under the Evacuation Claims Act. The precedent was set in the claim of Toshi Shimomaye of Los Angeles.

Arts & Entertainment

• Dancers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Haruko and Tomeko Uyeda will perform classical and modern Japanese dances at the eighth anniversary celebration of Viltis magazine in Chicago. The event features folk dances from many nationalities.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Veterans March in Boise Loyalty Day Parade, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei veterans of the 442nd Combat Team and intelligence units marched in Boise’s Loyalty Day parade on April 29. Gov. Robins of Idaho attended the flag-raising ceremony.

Sports

• Yonamine Bats .350 in First Five Games, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine, outfielder for the Salt Lake Bees, was batting .350 after his first games with the club. The Bees struggled with rainouts and a losing streak during this stretch.
• Miyasato Will Play in BYU Backfield, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Jimmy Miyasato is expected to play T-formation quarterback for BYU this fall after starring at Weber College. BYU’s November game against the University of Hawaii will give him a trip home.
• Japanese Cagers Learn from Nisei Stars, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Hawaii Nisei All-Stars won eight straight games against top Japanese teams. Observers predict Japanese basketball will shift toward one-handed fast-break shooting.
• Hawaii Nisei Nine Plans Mainland Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A Hawaiian Nisei all-star baseball team is tentatively planned to tour mainland cities against the Harlem Globetrotters baseball team. Hawaiian players made a similar tour two years earlier.
• Evelyn Kawamoto Will Defend National AAU Swim Titles, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sixteen-year-old Evelyn Kawamoto will defend her national AAU titles at High Point, North Carolina in August. She will be part of a six-member Hawaii Swimming Club team coached by Sakamoto.
• San Francisco Area Golfers Will Enter JACL Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A group of Golden Gate golfers from the San Francisco Bay Area plans to compete in the JACL Pacific Southwest open tournament on July 2 at Alondra Park. Entry fees and handicap scores are due by June 20.
• Bowling Tourney Will Be Feature of JACL Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. An all-Southern California open bowling tournament will be held July 2 at POel Monica Bowl as part of the JACL Pacific Southwest convention. Officials of the Nisei Bowling Association are handling arrangements.
• Furuhashi Receives Trophy, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hironoshin Furuhashi received the Helms Foundation trophy as Asia’s most outstanding athlete of 1949 at a San Francisco dinner. The swimmer has rewritten many middle-distance freestyle records.

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