The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-05-08
LADIES' BATTLE"
IS SCORED HARD
Statements Attacking Woman suf-
frage Are outrageously False, Says
Mrs. Ruby N. zahn.

At the request OF The Times, Mrs.
Ruby NJ. Zahn, vice-president OF the
Detroit Equal Suffrage club, has writ
ten q review Of The Ladies' Battle"
book attacking the suffrage move
which has just been issued. Mrs.
Zahn's review follows:
This booklet can be regarded only
In two ways-as very stupid piece
of fiction, or as an illogical, prejudiced
and utterly untruthful representation
of the woman suffrage question.
Many of the statements are so
childishly illogical as TO cause laugh
ter and a great wonder as 10 why any
publishing company would risk It's
reputation by publishing such trash.
Many OF the statements are also so
outrageously false that one chapter
alone should be sufficient introduction
for the authors life membership In
the Ananias club.
Taking her readers into her conf
dence the author gives what Is really
the keynote OF the book, based on
her own individual selfishness and
her traditional attitude OF the fifteenth
century woman towards the male sex,
the faint of which education has
been unable to eradicate. In word,
men are gods; women are unreason
ing, fragile creatures needing protec-
ton, and fundamentally the world
was, is and must be governed by brute
force.
No Desire For Vote.
"She says: My life was led in the
library Of an old Virginia house, and
in community where conditions
more nearly resembled the eighteenth
than the nineteenth century. In the
course OF time become house
holder, a property owner, and tar.
payer. can say with positive assur
ance, there never was a time when
the possession OF vote would not
have been a burden and hindrance to
me. never attempted TO do anything
Tor wished TOT In which vote would
nave been the slightest assistance tC
me. | had no claim on any man &c
help me fight my way to the polls
Consistent with her faith In brute
force, our author again says: 'Educa
ton is desirable, but not essential
The possession of education and In
telligence does not enable q woman
to fight her way to the polls. A
dozen ruffians could prevent a hun
dred women from depositing their
ballots. There can be no doubt that
the polls would become scenes OF pre-
ordained disorder
What drivel! Has such a case
ever been heard OF? No, although
women have been voting for over rs
years.
Our author Is also deeply grieved
that suffrage has not brought the
millennium. Suffragists have never
made any such claim, neither do they
propose to try to undo In few years
mistakes made by men for some
hundreds. No one with any claim FOL
fairness will demand Of women eithe
to intelligently work out q few min
utes. problems which have vexet
moralists for ages, or magic powers {,
I'LL the ballot boxes with overwhelm
ing6majorities for reform, which mer
have repeatedly rejected, and against
which they are still persistently vot
ing.
Voting a Privilege.
Quoting w. Dean Howells, who said
L have heard many appeals against
suffrage, but have never heard any
reasons against it, the writer blithe-
ly assures us that there are, however,
compelling reasons against 1t, rea-
sons which her brilliant intellect has
discovered, but which were overlook
ed by such eminent philosophers.
statesmen and scientists as Plato,
John Stuart Mill, Abraham Lincoln,
Chief Justice Brewer, Senator Hoar
Bishop Darlington. ex-President
Roosevelt, and hundreds OF others OF
equal prominence.
The first compelling reason Is
that voting is a privilege, not a ma
tional right.
I'VE must undoubtedly agree tina,
suffrage is a privilege Privilege &C
cording to an authority, is a pc
culiar advantage and II has always
been regarded as such by those pos
sessing II, who have guarded II most
zealously.
THE unprivileged have likewise
recognized this privilege as a peculiar
advantage. History revolves on the
efforts of the unenfranchised to OBJ.
tain this peculiar advantage We
have been spared the struggles OF
England and France, the unrest In
Germany, the situation in still darker
Russia. but these and the present sit
uations in Mexico all point to the
fact that vote Is a privilege and
the whole OF this unrest is the effort
to destroy the artificial barriers that
hedge In this privilege, or peculiar
advantage Whether suffragists claim
the ballot as natural right or II IT
be regarded in the light Of privilege
as defined by the supreme court, IL
has always been regarded as an essen
tial of citizenship.
General abuse of the English suf-
fragettes occupies about seven pages
OF this intellectual gem Our author
has evidently RECALLED herself greedily
Of the malicious and untruthful ac-
counts published In some American
newspapers, and ignores completely
the published truths from authentic
eye witnesses, which completely exon
crate the English women from all
charges Of disorderly conduct
Something like a chapter Is de-
voted to the shocking failure OF wo-
man suffrage in Colorado based al
most solely on the willfully false
statements published in well.known
magazine issued solely for women of
the fifteenth century type. This re-