Granada Pioneer, Vol. II, No. 53

              May 6,   1944___________________PIONEER________________Page 5
   NISEI
POTPOURRI
   by Roy Yoshido
OUR GUARDIAN
   LOOK magazine recently
asked 68 nationally known
Washington correspondents
to pick the 10 most useful
officials in the nation's
capital. Replies came from
52,"who devoted much time,
much thought, to their se-
lections."
   The result of the poll -
with pictures-which ap-
pears in the May 16 issue
most likely would have at-
tracted, just a passing
glance on the part of eva-
cuees-except for one name
on the list.   That excep-
tion is Secretary of Interior
Harold L. Ickes. And the
fact that the War Reloca-
tion Authority is now a
part of the Interior De-
partment.
   In naming Mr. Ickes as
one of the ten top officials,
the cross-section of Capi-
tol Hill news writers said
of him:"FDR's best adminis-
trator, ""a mind that keeps
alive, "one who "fights our
native Hitlers.”
   It is reassuring to know
that the man who guides the
destiny of the evacuees is
an official who is so high-
ly regarded. The members
of the Fourth Estate in
Washington are men of keen
insight and sound  judgement,
thus their estimations of
the country's top-flight
public servants can be ac-
cepted on their face value.
   AND in support of all
this  is Mr. Ickes' recent
statement accusing Mayor
La Guardia of New York City
and Governors, Bricker of
Ohio and Edge of New Jersey,
of "racial discrimination"
on the question of resettle- .
ment of Japanese-Americans.
He made it, plain that he
does  not see "eye to eye"
with them on  their belief
that "American citizens of
Japanese ancestry and law-
abiding  Japanese aliens are
not entitled to the same
privileges as non-Japanese
and should be accorded spe-
cial treatment." Nor with
"a few prejudiced and vocal
men"  on the Pacific coast
who "have created a public
clamor that has stirred
unnecessary apprehension
and bitterness in other
parts of the nation." To
say that Secretary Ickes
gave them a severe verbal
spanking is putting it
mildly.
   Mr. Ickes no doubt rea-
lizes the consequence of
taking a firm stand on the
extremely controversial
WRA issue, of asking for
the ultimate fair and decent
resettlement of the eva-
cuees. But the Interior
Secretary evidently has no
qualms about expressing
his views on the question
of constitutional rights.
   Being an election year,
various politicians are
taking undue and unfair
liberties in kicking the
nisei problem around the
political field, which may
yet become a national is-
sue in the presidential
election. And in nearly
every instance the evacuees
are the chief sufferers
and each such instance means
another turn in the road
to relocation. It is un-
fortunate that high and
respected public officials
should use wartime hysteria
against a minority group
to gain a few extra votes.
But it is also exceedingly
fortunate that we have a
man like Secretary Ickes
as a guardian of our welfare.
KASAI,  WASHNO,  YAMASAKI
“PROM  QUEEN”  CANDIDATES
   To one of the trio of junior class girls-Asano Ka-
said, Sadayo Washino and Jean Yamasaki-will come to-
night the honor of being crowded the "Prom Queen" at
the Junior-Senior Prom in the high school auditorium,
announced Miss Roxene Everetts, co-advisor. And the
other two will serve as the  "Prom Queen" attendants.
Yas Hirano,junior class prexy, will place the crown
 on the Queen's  head,  whose
identity will be kept se-
cret till coronation time.
Other candidates selected
by the nominating committee
were Ruth Takata, Teru Yo-
koi and May Yoshioka.
   The Prom with George Hi-
noki as MC is being sponsored
by the junior class in honor
of the 1944 graduates.
FOUR  BASEBALL
TILTS  SLATED
FOR WEEK-END
  The feature baseball
game among the four sched-
uled diamond engagements
this week-end will be the
tussle between the veteran
Walnut Grove Deltans and
the Sebastopol Sakuras to-
morrow afternoon, 1:30 o'-
clock, at 10F field.
   Tomorrow morning at
9 o'clock the 11F horsehiders
will cross  bats with the
8F team.
   This afternoon,the Ski-
bos will tangle with the
Raiders. 1 o'clock, which
will be immediately followed
by the Old Timers against
the Mercuries at 3 o'clock.
PETER   IDA,  HIGH
    SCHOOL COACH
   KANSAS CITY, Mo., May
6-Peter Mitsuo Ida,former
track star at Stanford Uni-
versity, who was graduated
in January of this year
from Teachers College, Ne-
braska U., has been appoint-
ed coach and physical edu-
cation director at Teachers'
College high school, Lin-
coln.
YOUNG   LADY,  IDENTIFY  YOURSELF
   Just recently a young man lost in a daze lost a
pocketbook in the local Co-op canteen (no plug),
which was found by a young lady of about 18 or 19
years of age and subsequently returned to its proper
"master."The fortunate young man was James Makimoto,
but the identity of the young lady remains a mystery--
thereby hangs this tale. For she, according to re-
liable source, disappeared before James could catch
his breath and offer her his thanks.
   If this mysterious young lady will call at the
PIONEER office, she will find waiting for her--not
James Makimoto for he has since relocated to Chicago,
but a"package" containing (from outward appearances)
words of thanks and maybe a reward. P.S.-It looks
like it's something worth coming down for, and the
transaction will be made without any question.