Evening star., 1948-05-23
g. 0. P. Women
plan 10 Fight
France Faction
National Committee
To Get Protest on
Convention Slight
By John v. Homer

BY John v. Homer
Organized Republican women Of
Maryland yesterday broke openly
with the dominant party faction OF
Jacob France as the aftermath Of
Thursdays State convention in
Baltimore.
Indignant at the treatment-or
what some termed the lack of it
they received during the convention.
the women promised finish fight
with Mr.. France, saying they could
carry their protest to the Repub-
lican National Committee, If neces-
sary.
Mr.. France. a Baltimore indus
trialist, is Maryland's national COM
mitteeman. He was accused Of
"handpicking" the new national
committeewoman without consulting
tn active women workers, and Of
otherwise ignoring them.
The storm broke about the head Of
Miss Bertha Adkins of Salisbury,
who was chosen to replace Mrs. Lula
Powell of Baltimore, national COM
mitteewoman for II years.
Groups Angered.
Miss Helen Elizabeth Brown, a
Baltimore attorney and general
counsel of the Federation of Re-
publican Women of Maryland, Inc,
said the members of her organiza-
tion were outraged" The fedora
ton is made up of women's clubs
throughout Maryland.
Miss Brown said the federation
was not concerned with personalities
insofar as Miss Adkins and Mrs.
Powell are concerned. She said the
members were not insisting on Mrs.
Powell's retention in Office and held
nothing personal against her sue
cessor. Their complaint was based
on charges that Miss Adkins has
never been active in party affairs,
does not belong to an organized club
and is unfamiliar with the fedora
tion's objectives.
She . probably is an innocent
victim in this unfortunate situa-
tion," Miss Brown declared. We
simply insist that the national COM
mitteewoman should represent Re-
publican organized women of the
State :"
Women Plan Fight.
Miss Adkins is the, daughter Of
Fred Adkins. a Republican leader
of the Eastern Shore. She formerly
was dean of women at Western
Maryland College and for several
years before 1916 resided in PENN
sylvania.
Miss Brown disclosed that q
group of Republican women held
an indignation meeting" after the
convention and decided to declare
war against the France organiza-
ton. Most of those present belong
to the Baltimore Republican Club.
an affiliate of the federation, she
said. "a
The federation Is expected to pc
tition the National Committee not
to seat "a national committeewoman
arbitrarily picked" by Mr.. France,
Miss Brown said.
lAlllOIl5 otllCi llllllSo. JllC WOlllCh
resented the trouble they had get
ting delegate-at large to the Phil.
adelphia convention next month.
Mrs. Edna Payne of Anne Arundel
County, a member of the State Res
olutions Committee, said only after
hard fight did she obtain the honor
for Mrs Frances j. L. Kline. Hagers-
town, president of the womens fed
Grafton.
Women Charge slight"
The women also were visibly dis
pleased at the slight of Mrs. Powell.
Not until a gallery spectator de-
manded that the committeeman
be introduced was she recognized by
Judge D. Lindley Sloan, the chair
man. This was in the closing mo-
ments of the meeting and Mrs.
Powell had been seated at the speak
ers' table throughout the session.
Mrs. Powell declined to address
the convention on grounds that she
was mot now in the humor." She
said later she had not expected to be
reelected national committee
woman but acknowledged that she
disliked the way the organization
was operating.
1T was the craziest convention
ever attended" she remarked.
Her present term runs through the
Philadelphia convention, which she
expects to attend. Incidentally, she
opposed the France organization
plan of electing eight delegates-at-
large and eight alternates-at at-large
from Maryland Since Maryland is
entitled to only four convention
votes at large, she considers the ac-