The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-11-05
Decisions on the Pittsburgh
Opposition Cases

The history of the Pittsburgh opposition cases
brings out several points of general interest and
application.
Controversies between several leading COM
rades in Pittsburgh and the District Bureau
came to climax when John Kasper for1ner
T.U.UL. organizer) and Max Garfinkel defied
instructions of the District Bureau in connection
with the unemployment conference which was
held in New York at the end of March this
year.
For this they were expelled from the Party.
Whereupon attempts were made to mobilize
the membership against the District Bureau,
in connection with which two more members
were expelled, John Otis Gormer T.U.UL. organ
izer) and Morris Sehindler dormer Agitprop d.
rector of the District)
All of them appealed the decisions of the Dis
trict to the Central Control Commission and
all based their appeals at first, on the conten-
lions that they had no dsagreements with the
line of the Party, that the fight was only on
personal grounds and that they had been vic
tinized for their attacks upon the errors and
shortcomings of the district leadership
Upon a careful review of materials submitted
by both sides, the Central Control Commission
upheld the decisions of the District upon the
basis of the following main points:
q
common fight against the recognized district
leadership that they had a common line of
attack and that even in their appeals they put
forward the same arguments proved that it was
an organized opposition regardless of whether
there were any organized caucus meetings held
or not.
q An organized opposition, which goes to
the extent of open defiance of District de-
cisions and of trying to mobilize the members
against the district leadership, is sure sign of
divergence from the line of the Party. Leading
comrades, who agree with the line of the Party
and have confidence in its central leadership,
would never resort to such disruptive tactics,
but would forward their information and APP
peals to the control bodies of the Party for
tie correction of any errors or shortcomings on
the part of the leading bodies of the district
8. The right wing opportunist line and ten
denotes of the opposition in Pittsburgh was dis
closed not only in such acts as the changing of
the Party slogan of Down Tools on May First"
into the slogan of Demonstrate on May First"
but also in their attitude on strike strategy and
unemployed councils 1t manifested itself fur
ther in the very claim of theirs that the whole
fight was only on personal grounds
Subsequently, Max Garfinkel and John Kasper
came to the realization of their errors and ap-
piled for readmisson.
Max Garfinkel was readmitted In September
upon his statement that he understood his errors,
that he ASSOCIATED himself from SCHNEIDER, Otis
and Kasper, and that he pledged himself to
fight the right danger wherever it may exist.
John Kasper was readmitted recently when
he submitted the following statement, and the
District Control Commission of Pittsburgh rec
commended this:
Statement of John Kasper
While District Secretary OF the Trade Union
sisted the district leadership in the carrying out
of Party policies, which unhealthy attitude led
to breaking of Party discipline by my coming
to New York against the decision of the District
Bureau. My whole attitude at that time now
condemn. st
realize with regret that my fight against
Comrades Salzman and Oyergaard, which /
wrongly considered as being personal in reality
was political fight.
AS member of the Westinghouse Shop Nue.
leus, I shared the responsibility with SCHNEIDER
and Otis for not issuing the Shop Bulletin regu-
larly as directed by the District Bureau
I fully condemn the right wing error on the
May Day leaflets, which were prepared by
SCHNEIDER, and which had on it the slogan Dem
onstrate May First instead Of the Party slogan
of Down Tools May First"
Though months have passed since my expul-
sion from the Party, 1 have only now come to
the realization that the Party was correct in its
charge OF organized opposition" for, although
there were no intentional efforts on my part to
organize the Party membership against the
Party, nor have there been group meetings. yet