The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-07-09
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
BY LUDWELL DENNY


Following the same psychology as
that of George Bernard Shaw, who
has addressed his latest testament
to women, the Democratic and Re
publican politicians are appealing to
women by stressing their inn
portance. If this results in winning
feminine votes so much the better,
they reason.
But in general the politicians
thing as definite women's vote
or, for that matter, a definite labor
or farm vote.
Nevertheless, both parties are go
ing through the motions of appeal
ing to women as women, rather than
to women as voters not different
from men.
This is considered especially in
order this year, because one Of
HooVer's most effective convention
lieutenants was Mrs. Mabel Walker
Willebrandt, assistant attorney
general in charge of prohibition law
enforcement cases, and because one
of Smiths closest friends and adj
viserS is Mrs. Belle L. Moskowitz Of
New York.
Already Chairman Work of the
Republican national committee is
talking about the women electing
Hoover and planning to stimulate
this thought by putting a Hoover
picture in every kitchen in the land.
Mrs. Alvin T. Hert, national vice
chairman, will conduct this cam
paign through the women leaders,
who form one-half of the Re-
publican national committee. She
will go from Michigan to Washing
ton to open women's headquarters
in about ten days.
Sindh, Michelet, president Of the
national get-out-the vote club,
estimates that the increase in the
number of women voters in 1924 was
almost 100000 over 1920. He thinks
the spreading movement among
leaders of all parties and nom s.
partisans to influence larger num-
Der of voters of both sexes to go to
the polls than the SO per cent Of
eligibles who voted in the last
national election, will make the in
creased women's vote even larger
this year,
WHATEVER may be said in
w general about the existence
or non-existence of definite and
separate womens vote, there is wide
acceptance of the fact that the two
minorities represented by the Ma
tional Women's Party and by the
Women'S Christian Temperance
Union will vote almost as unit
and almost solely on single cam
paign issues.
The former organization is prob
ably much too small to have an
appreciable effect, though the w.
G. T. U. might possibly be a factor
in certain border States if the vote
is close.
A conference call was sent out to-
day by the National Womens Party
to decide it's position in the cam
paign. Some significance was at
tached to the fact that the state
ment mentioned that Senator Cur
tbs, Hoover's running mate, has
been the sponsor for the Womens
Party equal rights amendment"
to the Federal Constitution.
The w. G. T. U. came out today
for Hoover and against Smith, and
urged its officers in southern States
to attend the anti-Smith dry con-
ference this week in Asheville, N. G,
THE w. G. r. U. policy statement
l. to members follows:
1.-THE interest of the w. G. T. u.
in this political campaign is the
election of the candidate for Presi-
dent who embodies the principle of
prohibition. We urge the support of
Herbert Hoover, who, in his reply to
Senator Borah, said: I do not ia
vor the repeal Of the Eighteenth
Amendment. stand, of course, for
the efficient, vigorous and sincere
enforcement of the laws enacted
! hereunder
1--WE urge the defeat of Alfred E.
Smith, who, in his telegram of ac-
ceptance of the nomination for the
presidency, said: Tt is we'll known
that belieev there should be fun
damental changes in the present
provision for national prohibition. "
This edict by the women's dry orr
ganization takes no cognizance APP
parently Of Hoover's statement that
he looks upon prohibition as IAN
experiment, noble in purpose" The
vets point out that the idea Of
prohibition as an experiment is Of
something still improved and which
may be changed, rather than as the
fixed and almost sacred thing con-
ceived by the w. G. T. u.
Furthermore. the vets say there
is nothing in the Republican plat
form nor in Hoover's statement to
prevent him, if he desires, from
working for modification of the Vol
stead act, as Smith intends to do,
and is permitted to do under the
Democratic platform
In expressing the national wom-
ems party view, Miss Mabel Vernon,
national executive secretary, said to-
day:
"In 1924, after women had been
voting for four years. there was no
mention of equal rights in the ma
ticnal platforms This year both
platform have planks which show
the parties recognize that women
must be given positions of equality in
politics and government"