The Native Sons’ voting suit thrown out, and evacuation under debate

Vol. 15, No. 6, July 9, 1942. 8 pages. View this issue

A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed the Native Sons’ suit to remove Japanese Americans from voter rolls, citing Supreme Court precedent on birthright citizenship. Webb said he would take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ken Tashiro reported that California Governor Olson asked the Army to halt the evacuation of Military Area No. 2 to protect farm labor, and General DeWitt refused. Saburo Kido, the national JACL president, urged Japanese Americans to organize and raise funds to defend their citizenship, and Chester Rowell argued that the suit tests democracy itself. The ACLU filed a brief against the suit and said it would fight the curfew and evacuation test cases, including Fred Korematsu’s challenge.

Elsewhere in these eight pages are Fourth of July celebrations at Manzanar, Poston, Santa Anita and Pomona, a Tanforan art exhibit at Mills College, and Larry Tajiri’s and Bill Hosokawa’s columns. A front-page editorial marks China entering its sixth year of war with Japan. Teiko Ishida wrote about farmers experimenting with tea near Selma.

What’s in this issue

National

• Federal Court Throws Out Native Sons’ Suit to Bar Japanese Americans From Voting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed the Native Sons’ suit seeking to remove Japanese Americans from voter rolls, citing Supreme Court precedent affirming birthright citizenship. Webb announced he would take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Nisei Fisherman Wins Anti-Trust Suit in Court, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Frank Manaka and his crew of Japanese fishermen were awarded more than $15,000 in federal court in a suit against Monterey Sardine Industries for anti-trust violations. The judge referred the award to the government to prevent alien Japanese from receiving the money.

Incarceration & Redress

• Olson Asks Army to Halt Evacuation, by Ken Tashiro, page 1. California Governor Olson requested suspension of the evacuation of Japanese from Military Area No. 2 to preserve farm labor and crops, expressing confidence in the loyalty of most Japanese Americans. General DeWitt denied the request, citing continued military necessity.
• Tent Cities Will House Canadian Japanese Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. British Columbia has acquired 1,000 tents to erect in interior towns to house Japanese evacuees from the Pacific Coast defense zone. Permanent housing will be built over the summer to replace them.
• Army Imposes Ban on Aliens in Center Posts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. New Western Defense Command orders bar alien Japanese from holding elective office or voting for advisory committees in assembly centers effective July 1. Special elections were ordered to replace disqualified councilmen.
• Award Contracts for Constructing Colorado Center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Army announced contracts totaling under five million dollars for construction at the new relocation center near Lamar, Colorado. Awards went to several firms for temporary buildings and utility systems.
• California Ready to Act If Nisei Released, Says Warren, by P.C. Staff, page 1. State Attorney General Earl Warren indicated California would supervise Japanese Americans if Fred Korematsu, challenging his exclusion from a military zone, is released by federal court. The ACLU is defending Korematsu on constitutional grounds.
• Visalia Japanese Taken Into Custody, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tatsuo Hayamo, an alien Japanese resident of Visalia, was arrested by immigration officers and held in the county jail.
• Federal Court Dismisses Suit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The article continues the report on the dismissed Native Sons suit, describing the organization’s campaign and Webb’s arguments that the Constitution was written for white people. The Native Sons raised $1,000 with a matching donation from the Native Daughters.
• Veterans Council Urges Future Ban on U.S. Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Golden Poppy Council of the Veterans of Foreign Wars endorsed the Native Sons’ legal action and called for excluding all persons of Japanese ancestry from American citizenship. The council’s adjutant made the statement.
• Alien Japanese Hid Along River to Escape Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Authorities in Stockton considered the case of S. Torosu, a 69-year-old alien Japanese laborer discovered hiding along the San Joaquin River. He had survived for a month on caught fish and stolen vegetables.
• First Exclusion Orders for Zone 2, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Residents of the Lindsay District and Fresno City were ordered to the Colorado River Relocation Center at Poston, Arizona. The article describes the harsh desert climate and conditions at the center.
• Army Exclusion Proclamation Clears State, by P.C. Staff, page 3. General DeWitt issued Civilian Exclusion Orders 103 and 104 covering parts of Tulare, Fresno, Inyo, and Kern counties, nearly completing evacuation within California. Evacuees may take up to 150 pounds of belongings.
• Civil Liberties Union Filed Brief in Native Sons Case, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The ACLU filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the Native Sons’ suit, calling it an assault on constitutional rights. The brief argues the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and Supreme Court precedent protect Japanese American citizenship.
• ACLU Protests Stewart Bill to Intern Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The ACLU opposed the Stewart bill, which would give the Secretary of War power to intern American citizens of Japanese ancestry. The ACLU argued the bill is unconstitutional and based on factual errors.
• ACLU to Fight Evacuation Test Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Civil Liberties Union will pursue test cases challenging curfew and evacuation orders against citizen Japanese, possibly to the Supreme Court. Status of pending cases in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Portland is described.
• Department Heads Donate Clothing for Baby at Pinedale, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seven department heads at Pinedale Assembly Center donated a complete outfit to the Otsuka family’s two-week-old daughter, Pinedale’s first baby. The clothing was given as a kindness to the new family.
• Construction on Utah Relocation Center Pushed, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Army contracts were let for a 20,000-acre relocation center near Delta, Utah, which will hold 10,000 evacuees within 60 days. The site lies in the alfalfa region and will become a WRA center.

Community

• WCCA Plays Cupid to Chinese-Japanese Pair, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Permission was granted for a Nisei woman at Santa Anita to leave the assembly center to marry Ernest Wong, a San Francisco Chinese youth. The marriage was arranged through the WCCA.
• Evacuee Drowns in Kings River, by P.C. Staff, page 1. S. Kawamoto, 59, an alien Japanese evacuee from Monterey, drowned while swimming in the Kings River near Reedley on July 5. He is survived by his wife and children.
• Reelection Ordered at Tulare Center, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A special election for three councilmen was ordered at the Tulare assembly center after alien councilmen were disqualified. Only citizens may vote or run in the new election.
• Japanese Hail Independence Day at WRA Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Approximately 28,000 Japanese at the Manzanar, Tulelake, and Poston relocation centers observed the Fourth of July with flag-raising ceremonies and programs. Poston residents planted a Founders’ Grove of mulberry trees.
• UC Gold Medalist Leaves Tulelake for St. Louis Classes, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Harvey Itano, the University of California medalist, was released from Tulelake to enroll at St. Louis University Medical School. It was the first time the University permitted a student to enroll late.
• American Born Japanese Teach at Navy School, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nisei instructors are teaching Japanese language to Navy enlisted men at a school that moved from Berkeley to Boulder, Colorado. Several received temporary exemptions from evacuation to continue teaching.
• Student Relocation Council Expands Berkeley Offices, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Student Relocation Council moved to larger quarters at 2588 Channing Way in Berkeley due to expanding staff. The council had operated from the University of California YMCA.
• Japanese Farmers Experiment With Tea in California, by Teiko Ishida, page 6. Japanese farmers leasing a ranch near Selma planted strawberries, vegetables, peanuts, popcorn, and tea. The tea experiment is being watched by agriculture officials as a possible new California crop.
• Stockton Paper Issues Patriotic July 4th Number, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The El Joaquin newspaper at Stockton Assembly Center issued a patriotic July 4th edition. The center’s mess committee also recommended improvements in food quantity and quality.
• Special Mid-Morning Snacks Promised Aged at Tulare, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tulare Assembly Center will provide nutritious mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks to residents over 65. The snacks will include beef bouillon and malted milk.
• Family-Style Meals For Stockton Center, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Stockton Assembly Center began experimenting with family-style meal service in four mess halls, starting with young children and their mothers. The system may soon be extended to all residents.
• Nisei in Manhattan, by Toge Fujihira, page 6. The column reports on an upcoming wedding in New York and on visiting Seattle friends and Nisei newcomers in the city. It covers community life among Japanese Americans in New York.
• Pomona Residents Celebrate Holiday With Entertainment, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pomona Center held a full day of Fourth of July entertainment including races, sumo, and a baseball game. Nurse training and sewing classes were also underway.
• Manzanar Magna Carta for Approval, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Manzanar observed the Fourth of July with picnics and a queen contest, and a redrafted constitution called the Magna Carta awaits regional WRA approval. Sixty-six children now live in the Children’s Village.
• Santa Anitans Fete Fourth With Mammoth Entertainment Program, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Santa Anita held a multi-day Fourth of July celebration with talent shows, parades, and sports. Center-grown vegetables were also planted for future meals.
• Clovis Organizes Group to Assist Japanese Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A Clovis branch of the National Security and Fair Play Committee was formed to help Japanese evacuees with transportation and packing supplies. Rev. Ralph Mason Dreger was named chairman.

Commentary

• Halt Evacuation!, by Ken Tashiro, page 1. Governor Olson’s request to suspend evacuation reflects farm interests’ need for Japanese labor. The editorial notes the irony of farm groups who earlier demanded evacuation now seeking the same workers.
• Fresno Assembly Center Visited, by Saburo Kido, page 2. The author visited the Fresno Assembly Center and found the housing cramped and privacy lacking. He hopes conditions will improve in the relocation centers.
• Nisei Leaders Must Look Toward Future, by Saburo Kido, page 2. The author urges community leaders to build an ideal community within the centers and to guide young people to understand their circumstances. He also voices concern over mail censorship and government treatment of residents.
• A Message From the National President, by Saburo Kido, page 3. National JACL President Kido urges Japanese Americans to organize and raise funds to defend their citizenship rights against legal challenges. He notes the Native Sons raised $2,000 to pursue their campaign.
• Evacuee Labor, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes California farm interests who pushed for evacuation and now seek Japanese labor under guard. It calls for fair wages and voluntary recruitment through the U.S. Employment Service.
• Censored!, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns censorship of personal letters from Tulelake relocation center as an unwarranted intrusion on the civil liberties of American citizens. It calls on the WRA to stop the practice.
• Judicial Speed, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Judge St. Sure for promptly dismissing the Native Sons’ suit, reprinted from the San Francisco Chronicle. It notes that the decision upholds the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship.
• Nisei Vagaries, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The column highlights Japanese Americans fighting fascism behind the scenes in intelligence, radio, and propaganda work, as well as Japanese refugees resisting militarism. It notes the Army’s praise for Nisei soldiers.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa reflects on anti-typhoid inoculations, contrasting the routine American experience with the coercive and sometimes deadly immunization practices in occupied China. He includes stories of counterfeit certificates and executions.
• Criticism of WRA Is Jab at Residents, by Tad Uyeno, page 5. Uyeno responds to an Inyo Independent editorial criticizing WRA Manzanar director Roy Nash, arguing the attack harms the residents. He defends the civilian WRA over Army administration.
• Chester Rowell Says: Suit to Ban Japanese From Citizenship Tests Democracy, by Chester Rowell, page 5. Rowell argues the suit to deny citizenship to native-born Japanese is legally settled and practically self-defeating. He warns that making Japanese Americans bad residents will harm America after the war.
• Army Ferrying Service Circles Globe, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Army Air Force ferrying command, which began by delivering bombers to Britain, now supplies planes and supplies worldwide. Its work includes emergency supply runs and building airfields in Africa.
• Japanese Militarists Due for Shock, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The article argues that Japanese propaganda underestimates American strength and resolve. It cites the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway as previews of what is to come.
• The Winds At Manzanar, by James Shinkai, page 5. Shinkai describes the varied winds and dust storms of Manzanar, from cold mountain gusts to hot desert blasts. The piece is a lighthearted sketch of life at the camp.
• The Children in the Centers Should Not Be Subjected to Concentration Camp Atmosphere, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The article offers guidance on creating colorful, child-friendly playrooms in the camps to counter the bleakness of barracks life. It gives practical decorating suggestions.

Military & Veterans

• Army Orders Release of Utah Nisei Held for Curfew Violation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Forty-nine citizens and two aliens from a Japanese Christian Church picnic were released after being detained for passing through a prohibited military zone after curfew. Authorities said no charges would be filed.
• UC Frosh Pitcher Awarded Sweater, Class Numerals, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Kaneto Arita, a freshman baseball pitcher at the University of California, received his class numerals and sweater after leaving the team due to evacuation orders. His teammates sent him an autographed baseball.

Arts & Entertainment

• Tanforan Artists Show Paintings at Mills College, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Tanforan Assembly Center art school under Chiura Obata held its first public exhibit at Mills College in Oakland. The school has 600 students ranging in age from 8 to 67.

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