1947: Colorado’s praise and the Oyama land law case

Vol. 25, No. 13, October 4, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

Colorado Governor W. Lee Knous told a Salt Lake City meeting he was proud of how Japanese Americans had integrated into every part of life in his state. Mike Masaoka, the JACL legislative director, met Knous in Denver to discuss federal legislation on Japanese American rights and evacuation claims. Page one also reported on a Supreme Court brief in the Oyama test case, which argued that California’s Alien Land law violated the 14th Amendment rights of Fred Oyama, a citizen. Two editorials returned to the same law.

Elsewhere in the eight pages: a federal judge restored citizenship to four Nisei who had renounced it at Tule Lake and Manzanar, and Rev. Jitsuo Morikawa was called to lead the First Baptist Church of Chicago. Sports pages followed a Seattle salmon derby winner, Nisei football and boxer Tsuneshi Maruo. Elmer R. Smith reviewed a book on anthropology, and Ken Keller profiled Ben Kuroki.

What’s in this issue

National

• Colorado Governor Expresses Pride in Integration of Evacuee Resettlers in State, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Colorado Governor W. Lee Knous praised Japanese Americans for integrating into all phases of life in his state. He cited their farming contributions, business standards, and civic involvement.
• Masaoka Tells Gov. Knous of IDC Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL legislative director Mike Masaoka met Colorado Governor Knous in Denver to discuss federal legislation on Japanese American rights and evacuation claims. Masaoka also met other state leaders during a week of speaking engagements.
• Resolution to Give Vote to Canada Nisei Defeated at Parley, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Union of British Columbia Municipalities voted to seek municipal ballots for East Indians but rejected extending the same right to Canadian-born Japanese and Chinese. An amendment to include them was defeated after argument.
• Truman Administration’s Aid Sought for Naturalization Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL legislative director Mike Masaoka urged Issei and Missourians to ask President Truman to endorse extending naturalization rights. He spoke to St. Louis JACL members and visited other local groups during his stay.
• U. S. Relief Supplies Sent to Aid Flood Sufferers in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. LARA distributed over 360,000 pounds of American relief supplies to Japanese flood victims north of Tokyo after a typhoon. The American Friends Service Committee said supplies had been sent to about 700 institutions.
• Baldwin Praises MacArthur’s Policies in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Roger Baldwin of the American Civil Liberties Union praised General MacArthur’s occupation policies after returning from Japan. He credited Nisei language personnel with a positive role in bridging Americans and Japanese.

Incarceration & Redress

• Newsreel Company to Tell Evacuee Resettlement Story, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Warner Bros.-Pathe cameramen filmed Japanese American resettlement scenes in Sacramento and Placer County for a newsreel. The footage included a Nisei VFW post, local businesses, and the Makabe family farm.
• Court Denies Move to Remand Morita Escheat Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Fresno County superior court judge denied a motion to remand the state’s escheat case against Takashi Morita to federal court. The case involves 80 acres of Fresno County farmland under the Alien Land law.
• Supreme Court Brief Filed in Oyama Test Case, Stressing Rights of Nisei Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court argues the California Alien Land law violates the 14th Amendment rights of citizen Fred Oyama. It asks the Court to overrule its 25-year-old precedent upholding the law.
• Seek Reversal on Deportation Court Ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Seven Japanese-born petitioners filed a brief asking the Ninth Circuit to reverse a ruling that they are deportable. They argue a provision of the Immigration law denying discretionary relief to Japanese aliens violates equal protection.
• Federal Court Judge Restores Full Citizenship Rights of Relocation Camp Renunciants, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Judge Charles C. Cavanah restored citizenship to four Nisei who renounced it at Tule Lake and Manzanar. He ruled that minors cannot renounce and that the Tule Lake renunciations were not free choices.

Military & Veterans

• VFW Leader Asks California to Defer Charges, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California VFW commander F.F. Gonsalves asked the Attorney General to defer alien land cases pending the Oyama Supreme Court decision and withhold new filings. He also cited a VFW resolution supporting title protection for Japanese American veterans’ property.
• 34th Division Veterans Ask Legislation to Give Citizenship Rights to Parents of Nisei GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Veterans Association of the 34th Red Bull Division endorsed legislation granting citizenship to Japanese parents of 100th Battalion and 442nd veterans. Chaplain DeLoss Marken introduced the motion at the Des Moines reunion.
• Nisei Angler Wins Seattle Salmon Derby, Awarded Auto, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Kaz Kimura won the 1947 Seattle Times City Salmon Derby with a 37-pound king salmon and was awarded a Dodge sedan. He praised the sponsors for holding a contest open to fishermen of all races.
• Nisei Delegate to National Amvets Convention Asks for Backing on Issei Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Utah Amvets presented a resolution at the national convention urging naturalization rights for Issei parents of Nisei veterans and other loyal Japanese aliens. Delegate Charles K. Yamamoto, a former 442nd staff sergeant, backed the measure.

Community

• Masaoka to Appear on Chicago Radio, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL legislative director Mike Masaoka will appear on the American Brotherhood program on Chicago’s WAAF on October 16. He will discuss how JACL-ADC legislation could affect individual families.
• Establish Identity of Man Drowned in Mokelumne River, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Authorities identified a drowned man recovered from the Mokelumne River as S. Tanimura, 65, a former Stockton resident, through fingerprints on file. His prints dated from a 1924 arrest.
• Five Wounded in Fight on Lodi Street, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Five Japanese Americans were hospitalized after being attacked by Filipino farm workers in Lodi, apparently after a mistaken identity greeting. Police increased patrols to prevent reprisals.
• Better Relationships Sought Between Two Groups in California, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL Northern California director Joe Grant Masaoka met Filipino community leaders in San Francisco to reduce racial friction. Joint informal meetings in Stockton and Lodi were proposed.
• Minority Groups Aided in Housing Hunt on Peninsula, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Redwood City Council for Civic Unity created a property listing service so minority buyers could find unrestricted housing. The move followed real estate groups favoring Caucasian-only residency and a burning of a Negro veteran’s home.
• JACL Chapter Will Aid Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Francisco JACL Chapter will coordinate free tuberculosis chest examinations for Japanese Americans and other racial groups in the Fillmore district. Physicians and community organizations will be enlisted.
• JACL to Prepare 1948 Directory, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Santa Clara County JACL will compile a 1948 directory of persons of Japanese ancestry in the county. Members will also be enrolled in a Blue Cross hospital plan.
• Nisei Doctor Denied Office in Akron Building Because of Racial Ancestry, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Kazuo Tashiro, a Chicago-born physician, was refused office space in an Akron building because of his Japanese ancestry. The Beacon Journal criticized the landlord, and St. Thomas hospital physicians helped the doctor seek another office.
• Labor Leader From Hawaii Visits Mainland Locals, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Kenji Omuro, president of ILWU Local 148 in Hawaii, visited mainland locals and attended the California Labor School. He said the training would help consolidation efforts among Hawaii ILWU locals.
• Rev. Morikawa Named Pastor of Historic Chicago Church, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The First Baptist Church of Chicago unanimously called Rev. Jitsuo Morikawa as pastor, making him the first person of Japanese ancestry to lead a white American congregation there. Morikawa, a Canadian-born former associate pastor, had served at Poston and in Chicago.
• Begin Construction of Denver Church, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Construction of a $100,000 Buddhist temple in Denver is scheduled to begin on Lawrence Street. The steel-framed brick building plans were approved several months earlier.
• Appoint Nisei as Pastor in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rev. Perry H. Saito was assigned as pastor of St. Paul Methodist Church in Chicago and will direct its Wesley Foundation. He was evacuated to Tule Lake and later served as race relations secretary for the Fellowship of Reconciliation.
• Ben Kuroki Says Many Talk Democracy But Few Live It, by Ken Keller, page 5. Ben Kuroki, now a University of Nebraska journalism student, says many people favor racial harmony but few act on it. He argues schools must teach living democracy more effectively.
• Nisei Regains Nursery After Long Litigation, by P.C. Staff, page 7. After three years of litigation, a Los Angeles superior court returned the Yamaguchi Nurseries to Mrs. Tokiye Yamaguchi when the state stipulated to judgment. The state had sought to escheat the property under the Alien Land law.
• Wataru Misaka Leaves to Start Cage Career, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Wataru Misaka resigned as vice president of the University of Utah student body to play professional basketball with the New York Knickerbockers. He was a key player on Utah’s 1944 national championship team.
• 500 Guests Attend Eto-Shibata Nuptials in California City, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Grace Eto of San Luis Obispo and Yoshimi Shibata of Mt. Eden were married at a garden ceremony attended by about 500 guests. The wedding was held at the Shibata family estate.
• Nisei Soldiers Aid Rescue of Flood Victims, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Nisei language specialists in the U.S. occupation army helped warn residents and rescue victims during a typhoon and flood in northern Honshu. Several Nisei GIs were briefly lost but were located safely.

JACL

• Report Success of Chicago JACL-ADC Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chicago’s JACL-ADC fund drive raised over $9,000 from more than 1,000 contributors, according to chairman Tahei Matsunaga. Issei and Nisei donors gave the largest share of the total.
• Official Notes JACL Group’s Role in Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Thomas Blakemore of SCAP’s civil affairs branch told JACL director Mike Masaoka the Tokyo JACL group could help stranded Nisei and Issei with nationality problems. He advised caution because most such cases would need to be resolved in Japanese courts.
• Father Flanagan Addresses Meeting of Omaha JACL Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Father Edward Flanagan and Mike Masaoka spoke at the Omaha JACL installation banquet. Masaoka presented a scholarship to Kazuo Oshiki and installed new chapter officers.

Obituaries

• Kichitaro Okagaki Dies in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kichitaro Okagaki, 63, a San Jose resident for 35 years, died after a long illness. He had been a director of the New World-Sun and San Jose bureau manager before evacuation.
• Mrs. W. T. Freitas Dies After Long Illness at Home, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Winfield Freitas of San Juan Bautista died after a 23-year illness, remaining a friend to Japanese Americans throughout. Her family sent supplies to evacuees and her husband spoke out for fair treatment.

Commentary

• Hemispheric Action, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial examines wartime treatment of Japanese ancestry populations in Canada, Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, and Panama. It notes Peru’s refusal to readmit interned residents and suggests the issue may need United Nations attention.
• Citizenship Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues the California Alien Land law discriminates against citizens of Japanese ancestry, especially minor children barred from receiving real estate gifts. It urges the Supreme Court to reconsider its prior ruling in the Oyama case.
• The Dodgers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the Brooklyn Dodgers for breaking baseball’s color line and recalls a 1944 letter inviting a Rohwer Nisei player to tryouts. It notes the team’s World Series appearance.
• Hollywood Takes Notice of Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial traces Hollywood’s stereotyped and disloyal portrayals of Japanese Americans during the war. It notes a shift in attitude shown by the 1946 film Tokyo Rose and the interest of story editors.
• Hemispheric Action and Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A column notes the 1941 Broadway play about Pearl Harbor was cancelled after the attack and recounts other Hollywood and military anecdotes. It also reports on a Salt Lake hotel hosting Hawaiian football players.
• Spotlight on a New Nisei Hero, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Denver Post nominated Lieutenant Harry H. Konishi of Platteville for its Gallery of Fame after he refused a Yugoslav demand to surrender a post in Trieste. The column praises the Post for describing him simply as an American officer.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Careers Show Girls Making More Progress Than Boys, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A New York poll of Nisei suggests young women are advancing faster in careers than young men. Respondents cited greater ambition, better employer acceptance, and more opportunities in clerical and creative fields.
• Book Review: The Living Races, An Outline of Anthropology, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. The reviewer recommends Jacobs and Stern’s anthropology text for its findings that no race is genetically superior and that physical traits are not simply determined. The review highlights chapters on living races and the dismantling of racial classifications.
• Noted Author Tells Chicago JACL of Conditions in Slums, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Novelist Willard Motley told the Chicago JACL that slums result from a system that exploits minority peoples. He described how his novel Knock On Any Door was inspired by a young friend sent to reformatory.

Sports

• Revived Asahi Team to Play in San Jose League, by P.C. Staff, page 6. George Yamamoto announced a revived Nisei Asahi baseball team to compete in the San Jose Nisei league. The roster will include several players from pre-war northern California champions.
• Nisei Football, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The column recalls the pre-war Nisei football leagues and the annual Rice Bowl game in San Francisco. It notes the current scarcity of Nisei players and mentions players in Hawaii and on the mainland.
• Maruo to Meet Stan Rowan in London Ring, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Tsuneshi Maruo, a 442nd veteran and 1946 AAU bantamweight champion, will fight Stan Rowan of Liverpool in London on October 20. The bout will be his first in London.
• Aiko Entries in Boston Golden Gloves Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hawaii entries, including three Nisei boxers, won titles at the International Amateur Boxing Tournament in Boston. Yoshi Higa, Howard Kikuyama, and Wilroy Wells were among the champions.

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