The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-01
LOOKS LIKE NEW STRIKE

AS Tar aS can De gathered rom the attitude of Mp. Bittner and the mine organizers, the former strikers are be- ing openly encouraged and urged to stand squarely for their former jobs and not to admit defeat to the extent of losing them. The leaders are talk ing the position that these jobs belong to the strikers and that the men who have taken their places should be busted, if necessary, in order that they be given back their places.
 To the extent of demanding their jobs again, the strike is not off, but is on as much as before the settlement was undertaken.
 In another way, 1t is new strike one called to enforce the demand of the strikers for reinstatement To that extent, the award of Governor Kilby is being openly and stoutly resisted. COMMENT ON BLOCTON SPEECH
 When questioned at the Tutwiler yes. terday about the address made by him at Blocton on Wednesday, account of which was given in The Age-Herald Of yesterday, MT. Bittner would neither deny nor affirm the quoted extracts re- produced from the stenographic notes taken on that occasion, saying that, in- asmuch as his speech was not a written one, he could not recall word for word all he said. His formal statement is as follows:
 The story appearing in The Age- Herald this morning written by Leon C. Bradley, the publicity agent for the Ala bama coal operators, saying I advised the men at Blocton to use force to dis lodge the men who are now taking their places, is absolutely untrue.
 The sheriff of Bbb county had two of his deputies at the meeting, and the only force I heard spoken of was when these deputies sheriff said they had heard of plot whereby some of the gunmen employed by the coal companles were going to shoot up the miners meet ing.
 T am willing to rest our case with these deputies from the sheriff's office ;is to whether or not we made an in flammatory speech advising any viola tioEs of the law.
 We did say that. in our opinion. the coal operators wrote the governors de- cision.
 The whole trouble in Alabama now IS that the governor doesn't desire to be made responsible for his decision which gives the operators the right to starVe 4S ,000 men, women and children, because they were fighting for better conditions in and around the mines.
 "The governors decision is the worst document advising force that was ever written This decision was rendered in direct contradiction to the advice given him by MT Hanson. the publisher of the Birmingham News, who really brought about the settlement.
 "The governors decision virtually ad- vised the coal, operators to destroy the miners organization in Alabama by the worst weapon of force known to human ;ty--starvation.
 "The miners of Alabama don't propose that the governor nor the coal operators shall starve them, their wives and their children.
 The United Mine Workers of America is law-abiding institution. We have no gunmen employed. We are fighting Tor the ideals and principles of America as laid down by our fathers.
 We say again, we advised no law violation at Blocton nor anywhere else aud are willing to rest our case with the deputies from the sheriff's office who were at the meeting