Granada Pioneer, Vol. II, No. 24

              January 26, 1944________________________PIONEER_______________________Page 5
	NISEI
POTPOURRI
   by Roy  Yoshida
BULLETS  AND  BALLOTS
   The biggest  news ever
carried in the PIONEER to
date, as far as the nisei
are concerned, must have
been that front page article
headed "TO DRAFT NISEI" in
our last Saturday issue.
Just how far-reaching this
"reinstitution of selective
service” for     nisei may  be
remains   to    be  seen.  And
have   we  thus   turned   one of
the corners towards restor-
ation of our full citizen-
ship   rights?
   Now that the nisei in
relocation centers are to
be reclassified and subject
to draft we are privileged
to fight and to die for
democracy that   is  America.
But how about the privilege
to say who shall safeguard
our rights on  the home-front
while  we are on the war-
front? How about "reinsti-
tuting"   our  right  to vote?
   Nisei doughboys on all
battlefronts are fighting
our enemies with bullets.
By the new War Department
order to reclassify our se-
lective service status many
of us in relocation centers
may be joining them sooner
or later.  And if we are to
play the part of good Ameri-
cans at war and at home-
the Bill of Rights must ap-
ply to the Nisei in every
possible way.
cans  at   war
   NISEI must realize that
to be accorded the privilege
of giving     our    lives     for
our  country is an empty ges-
ture     unless     we   are  given
the right to say how our
lives   should be sacrificed.
Otherwise we are being asked
to accept  "taxation without
representation”-- the     very
thing   our  nation's   Founding
Fathers   fought for in  their
Revolution against England.
   George    Washington    led
the     fight    that   freed  the
colonists  from the injus-
tice to create a great na-
tion and Abraham Lincoln
preserved that freedom for
us to cherish and to enjoy.
And it has not lost any of
its original meaning tho
at times it has been curved
to suit the whims of our
political  leaders.
   PAUL Robeson,celebrated
negro  singer recently said:
“The promise and hope of
the emancipation proclama-
tion have not been fulfilled
or  realized.”
   We need not seek any
Proclamation but we all
must seek our rights under
the Constitution. And any
nisei who is so lost in his
present   state   of  "unfortu-
nate” affairs that he has
no desire to fight for his
rights is doing his fellow
nisei a great disservice.
We must fight--on the war-
front with  bullets and or
the  home-front with ballots.
EVACUEE  REPORT  ON  RELOCATION
IN  NORTHWEST  AREA  UNFAVORABLE	
   According to an evacuee
report of a recent trip
made  into the Northwest
area, observations showed
that relocation into the
Western areas is not to be
Encouraged due to “bad”
reception.  That Northwest
strip of land between Salt
Lake city and Spokane is
said be be a poor place to
resettle on a permanent
basis due to "tremendous
increase of the Japanese
population in the various
cities"   in that   area.
   Community acceptance in
that area has shown the
tendency to fluctuate with-
out warning from one extreme
to the other, which is re-
ported to have made the re-
located evacuees there
"rather nervous and appre-
hensive --of their future."
Although they are not desi-
rous of being back "in a
center" they are somewhat
pessimistic about others
relocating into the Pacific
Northwest at this  time.
   In regards to business
ventures, the matter of
obtaining license to operate
any type   of    establishment
is  very difficult-- in fact
nil in certain localities.
Those holding licenses
issued prior to the cropping
up of "ill feeling" against
the Japanese are fairly
certain of retaining their
businesees     but     newcomers
are “out.”
   Farming possibility on
permanent    or  rental basis
is not much better with
community resistance against
such a move being very un-
popular.
   And the relocatees in
and around Salt Lake City
and Ogden are of the opinion
that the "feeling against
them   is  gradually  increase-
ing,”   and unfortunately
quite a few of the disrim-
ination    appeared    to  come
from the  “old-time Japanese
residents.”
   Other   observations noted
were :
   Those     out     on  seasonal
leaves   were "apprehensive--
that   seasonal     leave   would
be dispensed with soon."
   "Most of the relocated
Japanese--getting along
very nicely with their Cau-
casian neighbors."
FOURTH  DISTRICT
COURT  OF  HONOR
SET  FOR SATURDAY
  The Fourth District
Court of Honor will be held
Saturday afternoon, 2 o'-
clock, at 10E Scout hall,
according to Scout Commis-
sioner  Ed  M.   Tokunaga.
   Kiyoshi Tateishi, Jim
Mametsuka and Frank Mori-
moto of Troop 162 will re-
ceive blue community ser-
vice ribbons for over 100
hours of good turns per-
formed to the center.  Wal-
ter Matsuoka and John Ito
of Troop 162 earned red
ribbons for over 75 hours
and 12 Scouts will be pre-
sented with yellow rib-
bons for  over  50 hours ser-
vice.
   A ten-year  veteran award
will be made to Scoutmaster
George Marumoto of Troop
161.  Fred Morimoto, Troop
162, Eddie Kubota and Toru
Takai, Troop 179, and Bill
Yamamoto, Troop 180, will,
become Star scouts. Six
first class, three second
class, 115 merit badges and
103  service pins will be
awarded.
CO-OP  EDUCATIONAL
DIRECTOR  NAMED
   Dr. T. Miyamoto was ap-
pointed educational direc-
tor of the Amache Consumer
Enterprises, Inc. by the
board of directors recently,
according to E. H.Runcorn,
acting enterprise supervisor.
   At present discussion
groups are being conducted
daily among the co-op em-
ployees to promote a greater
understanding of the busi-
ness  problems, added Runcorn.