The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-06-05

son for the low development of our Party in
this district, as well as the failure of the
membership to respond quickly enough to the
campaigns of our Party.
The Party and the c. l. have continually en-
phaszed that our Party cannot develop into
mass party of the working class without CIV
ing leadership to the everyday struggles of
the workers.
The participation in these daily struggles
can best be carried on through the organiza-
ton of the workers into the class struggle
unions affiliated with the TU.U.L.
The development of the Metal Workers In
dustrial Union into a powerful steel workers
union and the building of the n. M. U. are the
main tasks before the Party in this district.
These must be done through the building of
shop and mine committees.
The building of these unions as well as other
unions gives the Party the best base upon
which to carry on its work and spread its in
fluence among the workers in this section.
Without the building of the unions the Party
will not become the mass political organiza-
ton of the American working class
In the Pittsburgh District especially this
union activity is of greatest Importance to
our Party.
Lip Service.
The leading bodies of the Party for years
give if anything at all, only lip service to these
questions. When the Party did begin to make
the turn, when it did consider the question of
union work seriously there were uncovered ad-
ditional sources of resistance and opposition to
the Party line This opposition consisted
mainly of the comrades in charge of the
trade union activity of the Party for many
years, namely Otis and SCHNEIDER.
AS long as the Party did not check up on the
carrying out of decisions these elements gave
no opposition, but the moments the Party
started checking up on activities, a hidden
source of dangerous right wing opportunism
was uncovered. The sharpening of the class
struggle compelled the Party to take steps to
increase its activities in the trade union field.
The efforts of the bureau to do this met with
opposition. From this time, these elements,
led by Otis and SCHNEIDER attempted to build
a group against the Party.
These elements did not dare to face the
Party with their opportunist line. Instead they
began campaign of SANDER against the lead
ing comrades in the district and also against
the Central Committee. An attempt was made
to trick at least two units of the Party to
take up the fight against the district leader
ship. This opposition openly claimed the sup
port of the East Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh
Hill units, but their claims were short lived
Despite its previous weakness, the District
leadership carried on the sharpest political
struggle against this opposition. The fact that
the Trotskyite Militant contained an article
supporting the opposition and that the Love-
stone elements Immediately began to circular
ize the membership, showed that connection
existed between all of these elements that was,
if not as yet organizational, at least political.
By the carrying on Of the sharpest political
struggle for the line of the Party we were
able to smash the opposition. The vote at the
meeting of the Hill unit was IS for the Dis
trict Bureau resolution and six abstentions; at
the following meeting five of these six changed
their votes and now Abe Garfinkle stands
alone in the unit as the defender of the cor
rupt right wing led by Otis and SCHNEIDER.
Cheap Tricks.
At the meeting of the Control Commission
following the unit meeting, these elements at
tempted to maneuver They told they made
a mistake in their ISLANDERS against the Party
leadership, that they were against the right
wing, but the Party was wrong when they
said the right wing was led by Otis and
SCHNEIDER. We were not fooled by these time
worn cheap tricks of all right wing groups,
who attempt to retreat under the fire of the
Party, to await more opportune time to con-
tinue the struggle.
The Party has learned a valuable lesson
from this struggle Firstly, that only through
the sharpest political struggle can the fight
against the right wing be conducted. Secondly
that this sharp political struggle must be fol-
lowed by organizational steps against the ele-
ments leading the struggle. Thirdly, that
future proposals must be subjected to the
closest scrutiny, and the sharpest struggle
conducted against any tendency away from
the Party line. 1t is better and easier to con-
duct such a struggle than to wait until whole
series of proposals become line against the
Party.
The Party in our district is now stronger be-
cause of this struggle. The Bureau has built
prestige among the membership, which it did
rades is definitely increasing.
The struggle is by no means over. There are
still few organizational measures to be taken.
There are still some wrong conceptions regard
ing the Party among many comrades. There
are still the tendencies to discuss Bureau and
Central Committee problems outside these COM
mittees and subject the actions of these leading
Party bodies to gossip. Right wing tendencies
are stronger perhaps in our district than in
any district in the Party. These tendencies ex-
press themselves daily, but are being overcome
by the Party. There is still the tendency among
some comrades to carry on the struggle against
the right elements in such a way as to drive
them toward organzational unity. This is
especially true of number of young comrades
Combating Right Tendencies.
The Party is now, more than ever, alert to
these right tendencies. Because of this it is
more prepared to combat them, to overcome