South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-27
LIQUOR INTERESTS
ARE NOT WAN TED
Must be Divorced From Poll
tics, Says Candidate For
State President.
By ELINOR WOLF,
Staf CORRESPONDENT.

INDIANAPOLIS oct. 27-"Liquor
interests must be divorced from poll
tics"
This sentence from the platform Of
Mrs. Lenore II. Cox of Terre Haute,
candidate for the presidency of the
Indiana Federation of Women's clubs.
/ is the crux of one of the bitterest fights
for the office which has ever been
waged in the organization.
The battle is largely one for and
against Mrs. Cox. The only other can
didate who was being taken seriously
Tuesday by the club women assembled
at the state capital for the ninth an
nual convention, was Mrs. c. Il. Fair
banks Of Fort Wayne.
Mrs. Cox is accused by her enemies
of insincerity in her position in regard
l to the liquor interests in view of the
fact that her husband, l.. j. Cox, is
the owner of building in which is
/ located the Wade Duncan cafe, which
was among those involved in the re-
cent federal investigation.
! Not Running Husbands Affairs.
LAS a matter of fact" said Mrs. Cox
! Tuesday in an interview, 1.-The extent
TO which the cafe was involved was
/ merely that its owner, Wade Duncan,
was found guilty of personally con-
tributing financial aid to the polite
ians. The business itself is conducted
in an upright manner.
Perhaps the building does COM
mand the highest rental of any saloon
| in the city, but that is not because it
/ is a saloon. The building next TO it
which is also owned by Mr.. Cox, COM
mands a still higher rent.
Anyway" exclaimed Mrs. Cox,
throwing out her hands in earnest ap-
peal, what has that TO do with me
1t isn't my building. L have nothing
TO do with its rental. Some of the
women who are opposing me seem TO
think it proper that a woman should
conduct her husbands business. AS
for me. l do not. l consider Mr.. Cox
quite capable of conducting his own
affairs"
Opponent is Non-COmmittal.
Mrs. Fairbanks is non-committal as
to her platform. 1t seems to be gen.
orally conceded that she is eminently
fitted for the Office as she is a woman
of marked executive ability who has
| been president of one Fort Wayne
club for 13 years. The opinion seem
ed prevalent Tuesday afternoon that
she stands an excellent chance of be-
| ing the next state president. She is
the candidate of the northern section
of the state and her nomination is
largely a political move to satisfy the
women of that section, who feel that
the presidency should not be accorded
southern woman another successive
term.
Mrs. Cox is a woman of charming
and magnetic personality. She is in
an extremely nervous condition as a
result of the fight in which she has
become involved.
Il feel very badly not merely on my
own account" she said yesterday. but
on account of the federation. 1t is
too bad that a dignihed body of wom-
en- should be brought before the pub
| lie in such a light"
Mrs. Cox is the first candidate in!
the history of the Indiana federation
who has issued a formal platform.
! II had no thought of doing such a
thing until last spring when / returned
home from the west and found my
self" she smiled-"a very disrepu-
| table person"
For Woman's Advancement.
The following is her platform:
l should wish my administra-
ton 10 stand, first of all, for the
advancement of women and wO-
! mans work in all lines.
To this end ! should lay the ut
most stress upon education-that
true education which trains the
mind TO think for itself and en-
ables the individual to decide for
the right because il is right, and
not because il is the accepted or
eXpedient action. Our govern
ment must stand or fall by an
enlightened public opinion which
can be had only by the education
Of the individual.
Since we have, and for many
years shall, have large number
of citizens whose opportunities
have been few and whose minds
and characters are unframed, L
should wish the federation TO en-
dorse and assist all those move
ments for social betterment which
engage the attention of public
spirited people. The liquor inter-
est must be divorced from politics
the standard OF chastity for
men raised TO that demanded OF
women-mothers must be pro-
tected so that each child shall
have a chance to enter life with
at least physical well-being. In
these and kindred questions wom-
en- are vitality interested, and the
federation working as a unit may
be a tremendous force.
But l should urge the fedora
ton women TO remember that
they stand for no single reform
and that alone. The clubs repre-
sent the trained, thoughtful wom-
anhood OF Indiana. They are the
/ reserves from which the recruits
for the fighting line on every
4 front are constantly drawn. The
federation stands behind organ
I lied charity the anti-vice cru
sade, public health reform. tenn
/ perance suffrage-but il is big
ger and broader than any of
these causes For this reason I
should urge the clubs not 10 ig-
more the more personal benefits
TO be got from club association,
g
/ from reading and discussing good
books, the appreciation of art in
| all it's forms the wisdom that
grows out OF knowledge gained
in study and discussion of the
4 vital questions OF the day. BY
these means shall we have trained
women Of thoughtful mind and
public spirit ready for the work
that is TO do.
j L-aatI.. Ard nhiaan shn1ala