Granada Pioneer, Vol. II, No. 34

              Page 2___________________PIONEER____________March  1,   1944
   Just
Incidentally
   By Sueo Sako
   Washington's birthday
this year marked a more
important date for Amache
nisei than any other one
observed since the days of
evacuation. It was the de-
parture date for 47 loyal
Japanese Americans, the
first local contingent
since the re-institution of
nisei draft, to Denver to
undergo their pre-induction
Army physical. These nisei
all were thinking deeply.
Many harbored troublesome
questions that they could
not  answer.
   Yet,many of our critics
have and will ignore the
glaring fact that nisei
are answering the greatest
challenge to their loyalty
with the inner feeling that
something someplace is not
right. That something goes
way back to childhood days
when nisei had America and
her ideals pounded into
their heads that in a dem-
ocratic nation, everyone
has an equal chance in
everything.
   It's known that many
nisei resent their being
segregated into special
combat units, the v e r y
"limited" choice of service
in the armed forces, and
theirs and their parents'
restricted rights. Still,
they are making and will
continue to make the su-
preme sacrifice for rights
that they are not quite
sure   they have.
   The American public of-
ten fails to fully realize
that the Americans of Japa-
nese descent have had their
loyalty tested and questioned
more than any other single
group in the history of our
country. Each time nisei
have come through with
flying colors. Proof is
the stirring tale of broken
homes, the hardships of
evacuation--and now nisei
men marching off to Allied
battlefronts-many of whom
will never return. The
proof of loyalty is written
indelibly in sweat, blood
and tears.
   So to those misguided
AmerIcans who continue to
tag the nisei as "disloyal"
or  "un-American”    we    must
point out  that our record
is evidence against their
charges.  Nisei men have
and will continue to answer
the call of their country
along with their fellow
Americans.  But still up-
permost in their minds, they
would like to have an equal
opportunity to fight in
all branches of our armed 
forces, and they desire 
to enjoy the democratic
rights guaranteed to them
under the constitution.
   But what about their
future after the war? The
challenge for equal rights
for the Nisei and for other
minority groups in this
country will have to be
met soon or the foundation
of democracy-the democracy
we all cherish-will go
crashing  down.
    GRANADA   PIONEER
    Published Wednesdays and Saturdays by the WRA and
distributed free to each apartment. Editorial of-
fice: PIONEER building, Amache, Colo.           Telephone 63.
Reports officer: Joe McClelland             Editor: Sueo Sako
    Staff: Allan Asakawa, John Tsuruta, Roy Yoshida,
George Hamamoto, Jim Otsuka, Jim Otsuki, Amy Minabe,
Ailene Hamamoto, Jack Kimura, Yayeko Morita, George
Morita, Yonemi Ono, Jack Ito, Toshiharu Matsumoto,
Junior Nakagawa.
Reason  Triumphs
   The Colorado legislature was called into special
session early this month to enact a law to prohibit
persons of Japanese ancestry, including loyal Japanese-
Americans who are citizens of the United States, from
owning land  in that state.
   The legislature adjourned a week after the session
began without passing the proposed law. In fact, mem-
bers were   overwhelmingly against   it.
   Refusal to follow the path of blind dsicrimination
speaks well of the Colorado legislature's understanding
of what this   country stands   for.
-Rockford   (Ill.)  Register Republic
BANS  ANTI-NISEI  BILL;
PASSES  BIDDLE  PROPOSAL
   WASHINGTON. Feb. 2 5--
The House today rejected 
by a vote of 82 to 76 le-
gislation under which past -
expressions     of disloyalty
by interned   Japanese Ameri-
cans would,     in    effect,be
considered as a renunciation
of citizenship.
   Under  the bill  proposed
by Representative     Johnson
 (R., Calif.), any disloyal 
statements which the Japa-
nese Americans have made 
during their internment -
could be used against them 
in    proceedings to deprive 
them of citizenship.
   The House then passed,
111 to 33, a bill backed
by Attorney General bid-
dle, under which native-
born citizens could renounce
their citizenship in time
of war with the sanction of the
Attorney Gener-
al.
   Although neither bill
specifically mentioned the
Japanese Americans, Johnson
made it clear that he and
fellow Californians sought
to obtain the eventual de-
nationalization of approx-
imately 7000 internees who
have either openly or tac-
itly indicated their alle-
giance to Japan.
   Johnson argued  that  the
bill, which the House final-
passed, was inadequate
to meet the situation. Re-
presentative Hinshaw (R.,
Calif.) asserted that dis-
loyal Japanese,once having
"ratted" on this Government,
might   "rat" on the   Japanese
government because of the
turn the war has taken,and
now be unwilling to make
any further formal demon-
stration of their willing-
ness to lose American ci-
tizenship.
   Chairman Dickstein   (D.,
N.Y.) of the  House   Immigra-
tion Committee said he was
in full sympathy with the
aim of the Californians,
but contended the committee
bill,which Biddle approved,
"was  as   far as we  can go."