The San Francisco call., 1908-08-31
COUNTESS IS
REFUSED HONOR
BY SOCIALISTS
State Convention Turns Down
Effort to Place Name of Not
ed Woman on Ticket
POniatOwski of Poland, Now
Wife of American, Without
Party Influence
Friends YainIy Tell of Her Sac
ri1ces in Urging Her
for EIectOr

The political aspirations of Countess
PoniatowsH of Poland, one of the
most noted woman socialists of the
day, received a severe blow yesterday
afternoon when the state convention
of the socialist party refused her a
place as presidential elector at large.
AS the wife of an American the
countess is known as Mrs. Cloudsley
Johns of Los Angeles, her husband be-
ing the socialist writer and exponent,
and her Los Angeles friends worked
their hardest for her, but to no avail
Under the constitution OF the national
ist socialist party it is necessary for
& person TO belong 10 the party for one
year before being eligible to an cleo
toraI position. And the countess has
been a formal member only six months.
1t was in vain that her friends point
ed to her lifelong record as socialist,
20 her writings. TO her strange and
spectacular career, TO her sacrifices for
the party. They enlarged eloquently
upon her loyalty to their cause, saying
that within the six months that she has
beeu formally affiliated with the party
she has suffered a jail sentence for
street speaking The effort was futile
The convention refused to be dragged
outside the national constitution, and
the upshot was that Mrs. Mary Garbut,
also of Los Angeles, was awarded the
coveted position
FIGHT MADE BY FRIENDS
Countess Poniatowsh was not pres
eut at the convention and her fight was
fought solely by her friends. There
was no attempt on the part Of the con-
z-entfon to belittle her endeayors for
the socialist cause or oppose her on
personal grounds She was defeated on
= technical point but the mere defeat
on such a ground indicated that her in
6uence in the workings Of the party
was waning. The countess has given
I'D a life of social ease, wealth and po-
sition for her opinions and is known
in Europe and the United States as one
~ the strongest persons fighting for
the socialist principal She is a grad
nate of Bryn Mawr-
The convention was held in Equality
hall. The permanent officers of the
convention were elected Immediately
after N c. Griest calledNthe delegates
20 order. G. ". Downing of Los An
geles was elected permanent chairman
= e Kirk was elected to the secre-
faryship, with o. II. Philbrick of Oak
land as his assistant.
NOMINATIONS MADE
Late in the afternoon the conven-
ffon got down 10 the serious business
when It elected its district presidential
electors and nominees for congress.
Nominations were made as follows:
Presidential electors. c. Way
alright, Benjamin Chambers, J. II.
wilde, Oliver Everett, Henry Meyer,
Mary F. Merrill. F. c. Wheeler, Mrs.
Mary Starkweather, Mary Garbut and
George ". Woodbey
Congressional nominees-D. n. Cum
rfngham, A. J. Gaylord, O. H Phil
brick. X. J. Doyle, f. S. Misner, w. M.
Pattison, A r. Holston, n. A. Richard
SON
The state senatorial and assembly
nominees were named for those locals
county conventions. The nominees Sc
z. Harbrough. August Mueller. B. w.
White. O. J. Gibbon. George L. Tappan,
J. G. Dorser, ]. M Wilkinson, ]. F. Sut-
Ton. Y. +. ]. Dieu, Peter Skulp, Charles
simmons, A. NJ. Rayl, A J. Rogers,
George l. Martin, Alex Klein AND James
Rely.
DTSCORD OVER PLATFORM
Discord among the delegates broke
out at the evening session when the
platform The planks agreed with
these adopted by the national body Of
~ q <-.-