Life, 1916-12-14 · page 39 of 42
Life — December 14, 1916 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes anti-suffrage arguments through a romantic dialogue. A man opposes giving women the vote, claiming they're too emotional and irrational to vote responsibly—using as "proof" that his female companion refuses to marry him simply because they disagree politically. The woman's actual reason (she doesn't love him) exposes his absurd logic: he mistakes political disagreement for the irrationality he claims proves women unfit for voting. The satire culminates when he "wins" her through sheer stubbornness, then claims this proves woman suffrage is unnecessary—women don't need votes because they already control men through romantic preference. Life magazine, a pro-suffrage publication, uses the cartoon to mock anti-suffrage rhetoric as transparently self-serving and logically backwards. The "His Girl's Voice" caption adds comedic distance, suggesting readers should recognize the man's reasoning as ridiculous.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
come to the point. I cannot marry you unless you become an anti.” Her honest rage at this cannot be de- scribed. “As if,” she said, “I would marry you. Marry you! I hope not.” He appeared triumphant. “That proves my argument that wom- an suffrage is wrong,” he asserted. “ You refuse to marry me just because I dis- agree with you. Think of giving a per- son the vote who acts like tha: “Refuse!” she blazed. “ That is the least of my reasons! I refuse to marry you on any account. If we both agreed about this question, or many others, I wouldn't marry you! There!” “What are the other reasons?” he asked blandly. “ Remember, we are to be honest.” “Because you are—oh! I have the very best of reasons. I do not love you! Do you suppose I would marry any man that I do not love? Never!” “That is your only reason? “That is enough, isn’t it His Girl's Voice: iv ribo 18x’ BEHAVING, GEORGE, BE SEVERE WITH HIM on the half-shell, at the best Clubs, Hotels and markets. A blue tag on every shell Guarantees their purity, freshness and original deep- sea flavor, Armstrong Seatag Corp. Oyster, Va. AerCel Wash Cloths Variety bleached knit fabrics; embroidered edge 10c; plain edgeSc. Best storeseverywhere. Capital Knitting Co., Cohoes Absolutely Removes) Ind igestion. One package Proves it. 25c at all druggists. “A good and sufficient reason; the best of reasons. It admits of no argu- ment. It is fundamental. You can't get back of it. A woman's preference de- cides the course of the world. And so, I'm going now to give you the most un- answerable argument I know against woman suffrage. I don't love it.” Her contempt was almost uncontrol- lable. “What an idiotic person you are!” she cried. At this he folded her sternly in his arms. “Are you sure you don't love me?” he said. “T hate you!” “But are you sure you don't love me?” “T despise you!” “Couldn't you love me just a little?” “ You're horrid.” He kissed her. “You knew I loved you all the time,” she said. “I knew there was only one way to get you, and that was to disagree with you,” he replied. “And how does that settle the ques- tion of woman suffrage?” “Only in this way—that the only rea- son for it is that some women want it. There is no other reason, is there?” She reflected. “If there was,” she said, “I probably wouldn't marry you.” HE Witch of Endor had just paid one of her regular visits to King Solomon. One of the injunctions she laid upon him was that if he wished to retain his reputation for wisdom, he must never fail to give his newsdealer an advance order for Lire.