Naturalization for Issei moves through Congress, and Supreme Court rulings

Vol. 30, No. 23, June 10, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

Citizenship for Issei and two Supreme Court rulings on segregation were the main news of this eight-page issue. The Senate passed an amended Walter resolution opening naturalization to Japanese aliens resident in the U.S. since 1924, and I. H. Gordon reported that the House might take it up the following week. Mike Masaoka said the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee welcomed the court’s decisions against segregated dining cars and unequal schooling, warning that discrimination against any minority threatens all. Larry Tajiri’s editorial explained the compromise behind the Walter measure.

Elsewhere, Masaoka said an end to segregation in the armed forces meant the end of all-Nisei units like the 442nd. Columns came from Bill Hosokawa on a Colorado ranch vacation, Al T. Miyadi and Oyama. The sports pages followed Wally Yonamine, Bill Nishita and Henry Aihara. San Diego officials gave their view of the California alien land law ruling.

What’s in this issue

National

• Supreme Court Decisions Hailed as Victory for Democracy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee praised Supreme Court rulings against segregated railroad dining facilities and unequal educational opportunities for Negroes. Mike Masaoka warned that legal discrimination against any minority threatens all minorities, including Nisei.
• Seattle Youth Goes Free in Alaska Slaying, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A coroner’s jury cleared 17-year-old Gary Cooper of Seattle in the shooting death of James Sugiura, a World War II veteran, in Portage, Alaska. Cooper testified that Sugiura had held him captive and threatened him before the shooting.
• Senate Approves Amended Walter Bill Opening Citizenship to Alien Japanese Residents, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate passed an amended Walter resolution granting naturalization to Japanese aliens resident in the U.S. since 1924, a change introduced by Sen. Richard Russell. The measure now returns to the House for concurrence and would be a major victory for the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee.
• House May Take Up Amended Walter Measure Next Week, by I. H. Gordon, page 1. The House is expected to consider the Senate’s amended Walter resolution early the following week. Mike Masaoka anticipates little difficulty in winning concurrence, and the law would rank among the JACL ADC’s most significant legislative victories.
• Blind Nisei Wins Election to L.A. School Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kengo Sakamoto, a totally blind 18-year-old, was elected chief justice of the boys’ court at John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles. He and Henry Negrete, also nearly blind, are both members of the school’s Braille department.
• Relatives Sought for Issei Estate in California, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A California state agent asked relatives and heirs of Matsuo Ishizaki to come forward to claim an estate valued over $50,000. Ishizaki, born in 1872, had used several names and last lived in Long Beach.
• House Passes Bill Approving Entry of Japanese Canadian Wife, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House passed a bill allowing Mrs. Okubo, a Japanese Canadian registered nurse and pediatrician, to enter the U.S. as a permanent resident. Her husband Floyd Okubo is a Salt Lake City Nisei and American citizen, and the bill now goes to the Senate.
• Practice of Oriental Religions Has No Effect on Americanism of Nisei, Senate Report Says, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A McCarran Subcommittee report accompanying the Omnibus bill stated there is no evidence that Buddhism results in political loyalty to Japan. The report cited a study by Prof. Elmer Smith on assimilation among Japanese Americans.

Incarceration & Redress

• Seek Heirs to $50,000 Estate Left by Issei in California, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California’s attorney general is seeking heirs to the estate of Matsuo Ishizaki, an Issei who died in the Gila relocation center and whose estate exceeds $50,000. Unclaimed, the estate will revert to the state.

Community

• Elect Nisei Girl Student Head of East School, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Patty Tono of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was elected Student Body President of Ben Salem Township School in Cornwall Heights, the first girl in the school’s history to hold the office. Susan Hara, the other Nisei in the class, was elected yearbook editor.
• Hawaii’s War Dead Honored in Elaborate Memorial Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Hawaii honored its Nisei war dead at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, where 42,000 leis were offered on the graves. Governor Ingram Stainback praised the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s record of heroism and its victory over prejudice at home.
• Twin Cities Group Plans Fishing Derby, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Twin Cities United Citizens League will hold its third annual fishing derby on June 25 at Paradise Resort on Chicago Lake. A Martin outboard motor is the grand prize.
• Akagi Hailed by Chicago Group, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Richard Akagi, Midwest Regional Representative of the JACL, was elected to the Board of Governors of the City Club of Chicago for two years. He has been active on the club’s Local Government, National Affairs, and Race Relations committees.
• Michigan Governor Meets Nisei at I Am an American Day, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL members Mrs. Ben Akagi and Helen Shimoura met Governor Mennen Williams of Michigan during I Am an American Day ceremonies in Detroit on May 21. George Bashara, chairman of the Michigan Americanism Commission, also attended.
• Minneapolis Tribune to Drop Use of Word Jap in Headlines, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Minneapolis Morning Tribune agreed to restrict use of the word Jap in headlines after Rev. Daisuke Kitagawa complained. The paper said it is preparing a new style book prohibiting the term.
• Women’s Bowling Congress Drops Whites Only Ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Women’s International Bowling Congress unanimously removed its racial membership clause on June 5, following the ABC’s lead. The WIBC had previously ousted a Chinese American team and rejected a Nisei bowler’s membership.

Military & Veterans

• Move for Equality in Armed Forces Spells End of All-Nisei Units, Says Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment in the Armed Services found that equal treatment improves military efficiency. Masaoka said the end of segregation marks the end of units like the all-Nisei 442nd, which wasted trained manpower by keeping skilled men in lower ranks.

Commentary

• A Blow Against Segregation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes Supreme Court rulings in the McLaurin, Sweatt, and Henderson cases, which undercut devices used to maintain segregation without ruling on its constitutionality. It argues the decisions will force southern states to provide truly equal facilities or open their institutions.
• Equality in Naturalization, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial analyzes the amended Walter resolution, explaining why it is a compromise dictated by Senate opposition from Sen. Richard Russell. It credits JACL ADC’s sustained lobbying with making Issei naturalization possible and calls for eventual full equality in immigration law.
• Between Carbons, by Al T. Miyadi, page 5. Columnist Al Miyadi humorously introduces Bernard, a mischievous Elf who lives with him and accompanies him to the racetrack. The column recounts Bernard’s role in a series of long-shot winners and ends with the narrator’s reflections on his unusual companion.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa describes a fishing and horseback vacation at the C Lazy U ranch in Granby, Colorado, where high snow-melt water made fishing unproductive. He reflects humorously on the experience of riding a horse and the luxury of ranch life.
• Mannahatta, by Oyama, page 5. Oyama profiles New York Nisei figures including animator Chris Ishii and writes about the Nisei community in the East. He observes that Eastern Nisei seem better integrated than Western counterparts, while noting continued instances of discrimination.

Sports

• Yonamine Boosts Average to .351, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine was batting .351 for the Salt Lake Bees in Pioneer League play as of June 8. He has played center field for the Bees and has been one of the team’s few consistent players.
• Report Bill Nishita to Enroll at California Instead of Signing With Pro Ball, by Bruce Lee, page 6. Santa Rosa junior college pitcher Bill Nishita, a 19-year-old from Hawaii, reportedly will enroll at the University of California rather than sign a pro contract. Nishita feels he owes Coach Clint Evans a year of baseball for arranging his scholarship.
• Henry Aihara Wins Broad Jump at Compton Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Henry Aihara of USC, a two-time Pacific Coast Conference champion, won the broad jump at the Compton Invitational track and field meet on June 2 with a leap of 24 feet 4.5 inches. He beat Brown of Compton by four inches.
• Idaho Falls City ABC Elects Three Nisei Among Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Idaho Falls Bowling Association became the first city bowling association chartered by the ABC to elect Japanese American officers, including Eke Tanaka and Eke Inouye. The group also became the first to invite Nisei bowlers to an ABC-sponsored tournament.

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