The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-10
HOW ]. B. BABE CAN
 HANDLE KNOCKER
Bearded One in Den Down at
 Pensacola
DID TT REALISTICALLY
Well the Job Was Done, Accord- ing 10 the Pensacola
 Newspapers

From the Pensacola papers of last week Babb of Birmingham. Ala, lowered To the dust the champion knocker of the Florida city It seems that until the said Joseph E. Babp went to Florida the peo- pie Of that town were always covering under the influence of this awful, power full knocker.
 But few brave spirits decided that they must be freed from the yoke of the tyrant, and quietly set about to organize civic industrial movement which was to come to climax on Friday, December ?. with a big banquet MT. Babb was selected as the Daniel to beard the lion in his den.
 The day arrived. and after a six-courso banquet the knocker arose and loosened his guns, I'm q knocker,r he shouted. T was born a knocker and I'll die d knocker My father before me was q knocker. I have lived all my life in this old slow town and I tell you, nothing will ever come of your civic movements. You are all tod slow to wake up. And here you've brought down a man from Birmingham to preach 10 you. Big, boast ing, smutty Birmingham! Not south ern man ever did anything to build Bir- mingham Northern capital and north ern men are responsible for that bump on the face of the earth:" And with gritted teeth. and bombastic delivery he con tinued to belittle the Pensacolians and Birmingham's doughty representative.
 Then arose Joseph B. Babb. The Pen sacola papers fail to say whether he cleared his throat or not, but those who know him well, believe that he did. Un- daunted, he stood before the storm, and like cool summer breeze he, enchanted his. listeners with pictures of their beau tiful old city. singing into their willing ears the sweet melody of praise Surely the sun never rose and set on such a city.
 When all was calm, he adroitly turned upon the professional knocker. "Who Is this bombas,o furoso whom l find in
  mar school that he learn whereof he speaks. Birmingham, the pride of all our southern country is in the hands of southern men. Southern men discovered her wealth, and almost with their blood they sacrificed all to her development Southern men now stand at the head oi her great industries. Tho president of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railway company, the largest coal. iron and stee industry, is southern man, educated il Atlanta, Ga. Our mayor is q southern man. The men who fought and shed theil blood in the civil war are the strength and sinew of young Birmingham. We arc proud of the northern wealth which we have induced to invest in Birming- ham, but we are even more delighted that the Birmingham spirit is still full of that southern ehvalry which wei comes the man who comes to help us, and finds good in everything"
 With these and other words, according to the Pensacola papers, Joseph B. Babb ground his heel into the knocker, but used never rude word nor a raised in- flection of his voice, When 1t was over and the finishing touches of eloquence completed, amid the deafening applause, the banqueters arose, and sneering at the downtrodden, dejected knocker, re- marked with one voice, We sloat!'