The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-01

Extracts from Van Bittner's speech at Blocton, Ala, March 30, 1921:
 "-Connie Austin, who, like the governor of this state, is a prohibition ist, drunk or sober
 'Trhe United Mine Workers of Amer ica will be in Alabama long after Charlie DeBardeleben, Governor Kilby, Walter Moore and Charlie Oakley are in hell.'
 This little two-by-four governor that you have here in Alabama rendered some kind of decision. This is not Governor Kilby's decision but Charlie DeBardeleben, Frank Nelson. Walter Moore and this dirty crowd that has been running Alabama, wrote that de- cision, and they told him that they would expose him and show the peo- pie of Alabama just what kind of governor they had, and Governor Kilby, like the poor weakling that he is decided that he would sign his name to this decision that the coal operators wrote for him."
 There has not been any strike yet. We are just going to start. We are going to hold this governor and these coal operators responsible for that de- cision. They thought that because the decision was as rotten as it was as ungodly as 1t was, that the mine work ers' union would say, Well, we are not going to comply with that de- cision."
 Tt is going to make them fight that is what it is going to do. If there is any scabs left here in Blocton in 30 days from now, you men ought to be chased out of the state. That is the thing for you to do.''
 They may have right to work. lx.xf 1%xr kA af oJ ad hnu ha nn' any right to your jobs. It has been entirely too healthy for scabs around Blocton, that has been the trouble with you. What would you do with rat tlesnake if one of them would start crawling into this meeting now?'
 "A voice: Kill him.
 "Mr. Bittner. A rattlesnake never did you half as much harm as a scab did"
 THINKING WRONG WAY
 If these coal operators and this governor and these gunmen think that they can starve 4S,000 men. women and children here, they have got another think coming. They are thinking the wrong way. We are not going to all low these families here in Alabama to be starved to death by these coal op- orators. these gunmen and these scaba"
 T have not said that the scabs should be driven out. But you know what Christ did with those money lenders in the temple in Jerusalem. Remember that story? He picked them up by the seat of the pants and threw them out into the middle of the street. That is what Christ did with the money lenders in the temple at Jeru- salem. guess you are allowed to carry out Christ's laws, laws laid down by Christ. I have always felt that you were just as safe under Christ's guidance as you were under any of these coal operators or even the governor of the state, and I would not except even General Steiner That is what Christ did with these fellows that were not any good; these money lenders were saints compared with these scabs who are around in these mines. There you have Christ's law, Gods law rather, laid down through our Saviour, as an example to go by here in Alabama. I like to see men who are Christian be Christians through and through, practical Chris tians, men who are willing to put Christianity into their every day life. Do that here and you won't have any trouble getting your jobs back. You have every God-given rialt to do that. my friends"
 NO man will ever starve my wife and child as long as live; I will die first, and any other man who has any red fighting blood in his make up will do the same thing. We want men of this type, men who will go home and say to their wives: Mary, the gov error has rendered a rotten decision. Boss tells me today he is not going to give me any work to do. but am going to get it back somehow or oth- err Those are the kind of men that