The Principled Politician: Governor Ralph Carr and the Fight Against Japanese American Internment

When many of us were in school, we got sugar-coated history, often skewed toward America always being the good guys. This book is about a hero who's human, and who believes to his core in the U.S. Constitution. I wish it was required reading in schools. Students need to know that you can be an ordinary American AND be a hero, that we all need to stand up for what we believe is right. You'll hear people say they've never heard of Ralph Carr, even in Colorado and even among those of Japanese descent. Maybe it's because we like for our heroes to win, to succeed in their causes. Carr didn't -- Japanese American citizens were put in camps, to our eternal dishonor, Carr lost his re-election and the circumstances may have caused his death. But the important lesson to learn is that he spoke out, giving dissenters a voice and the rest of the people something to think about. When the Western governor's met to talk about the "Japanese problem," and one by one said they would not have Japanese camps in their states (some even saying they would hang them from the pine trees), Carr's representative said Colorado would welcome them. Sometimes we can't turn the tide of public reaction immediately -- as we've recently seen -- but it shouldn't stop any of us from speaking up. Thanks to Adam's tenaciousness in presenting this subject to the public, we now have on record the complete story of how one small man with a loud voice made a difference.

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have. I must stand by anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right and part with him when he does wrong." - Abraham Lincoln In "The Principled Politician: The Ralph Carr Story," author Adam Schrager has found just the right brush with which to paint the Colorado legend: a country lawyer thrust into governance, all too ready to do what he believed right rather than politically expedient. Carr made his living early in life in newspapering and law, most notably as a lawyer in Antonito and a U.S. district attorney before the Republican powers-that-be saw his electoral potential and drafted him in the 1938 race for governor. Widowed and charged with caring for his then-teenage children, Carr reluctantly carried the GOP mantle, vowing to bring financial restraint and smart spending to a state woefully in the red. As Schrager points out, Carr attained great popularity beyond Colorado's borders for his fiscal savvy and ability to salvage a bureaucratic nightmare; so much so, there was serious talk of Carr lending his clout as a candidate for vice president during Wendell Willkie's failed bid to unseat Franklin D. Roosevelt. Carr stayed home to handle the business of Colorado, and little could he know how much his leadership would be needed. With the new decade came the attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese navy, and with that came a wave of fear and outrage throughout the country surrounding those of Japanese, Italian and German descent. When others sought to expel or imprison Japanese-American citizens, Carr would not bend in insisting they be treated as any American should be according to our Constitution. When the vast majority of Coloradans angrily decried measures to allow internment camps and relocation efforts in their state - not for moral objection, but out of racial hatred - Carr held to his conviction that his state would do what was asked of it in wartime, no matter how unpopular the move was. It's an amazing story usually reserved for the realm of fiction, such as the advocacy of Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird." Schrager does a supreme job at presenting a rich historical narrative for much of this incredible story. If there is any knock against "The Principled Politician," it is not knowing where to draw the line in presenting the wealth of sources speaking to the anti-Japanese sentiment that existed. In Schrager's defense, it is hard for some of today's readers to comprehend the post-Pearl Harbor anger that existed in America without a solid knowledge of World War II. But his superb narrative is somewhat bogged down by example after example of the prevailing racial climate of the time. Overall, the author has certainly done his homework and presented this history in a timely and accessible way without veering far into the greater story of World War II or the Japanese-

In June/08, I was privileged to hear a speech presented to our family by Adam Schrager. The topic was his book: The Principled Politician - The Ralph Carr Story. Mr. Schrager's resonant voice would hold one's interest on any topic, but his presentation and his words were most important and captivating. He began his speech by quoting Gov. Carr: "Never speak beyond the bladder capacity of your audience." The hour long talk extended to a question and answer period. None would admit that bladders were about to burst, but none would leave before the presentation was ended. We bought all the books available to us that day. The Principled Politician is a thoroughly researched, objectively written, long overdue book. Often, insincere plaudits are heaped upon deceased persons, most especially on noted politicians, but Schrager tells a different story. "Principled" is an accurate description of Ralph Carr, Governor of CO from 1939 to 1943. His entire life and political career were guided by sound moral principles from which he never backed down. Mr. Schrager convinces the reader of the truth behind the character label by revealing hundreds of facts, incidents, and quotations seldom or never before stated in complete form. We learn about Mr. Carr's early life in the mining villages of CO and his days studying law at the Univ of CO, but the emphasis of the book is on the years he served as CO's Gov - the WW2 years when most all politicians and most of the country denounced "yellow bellied Japs" in the US. Carr stood virtually alone in voicing the rights and the honor of the Japanese in America. When evacuation and incarceration of all Japanese - non-citizens and native born US citizens alike - living on the west coast, were ordered, Carr did not "invite" the Japanese to CO, but he "welcomed" them, unlike any other politician in all the states. Concentration camps were not welcomed in any state or neighborhood even though decreed by the US gov't and guarded behind barbed wire. Carr listened to his inner voice, heeded his principles and followed gov't rules and demands with a sincere welcome to the "dirty Japs." Carr's vociferous opponents and the anti-Carr press were overwhelmingly in the majority. His civil rights stance and friendliness to the Japanese in America assured his defeat for a run in the US senate. Nevertheless, he never caved in. Japanese Americans owe much to this incredible man. In reality, all Americans benefited by his courage and stubborn defiance of what he knew was wrong. Some say we need politicians like him today. The truth is, we ALWAYS need politicians like Ralph Carr. Thanks to Mr. Adam Schrager to whom we also owe much. I believe, he, like Mr. Carr, is a principled man. Six years of his life were devoted to the research and writing of this book.

Ralph Carr was the governor of Colorado when the United States entered World War II. A rising star in national Republican circles, he was also a man with strong personal principles. And he was steadfast in adherence to the rule of law - including the United States Constitution. Carr's stubborn adherence to his principles brought him into conflict with the tide of anti-Japanese hysteria that swept across the US after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and was at its worst in the Western US. Carr welcomed Japanese-Americans to his state - the only governor in the US to do so. When Carr was deluged with letters, telegrams and phone calls from citizens urging him to lock up all "Japanese" people including American citizens, to call up the National Guard and turn them away from the borders, and to do even worse things, he didn't call out his pollsters or convene a focus group. He searched his mind and heart and followed his understanding of the legal, and the right, thing to do. And did it. He said, "If you harm them, you must harm me first." Adam Schrager has done a service to American history with this book. He explains Carr as a man, a lawyer, and a politician, and chronicles his refusal to be stampeded - by misinformed and scared citizens, by angry bigots, or by the federal government. Carr's principled stand on this issue earned him a barrage of threats and insults and ended his political career. It also earned him the respect and gratitude of many for his calm voice among the hysteria. This was a shameful chapter in US history: thousands of loyal citizens of Japanese descent were rounded up into internment camps, even as their relatives were fighting and dying for the United States. Emotions cooled after the war ended, and Carr was beginning to regain respect and standing with the public when he died from complications of diabetes. I highly recommend this book.