The Free Lance, January-April 1912

In this volume of his "Free Lance" column, H. L. Mencken devotes several segments to a robust defense of woman suffrage, destroying with relentless logic every argument put forth by those who opposed women's right to vote. Elsewhere, he takes potshots at his usual targets-malfeasance by politicians, quack doctors, corporate shills, religious and social moralists, and others. Vice crusaders (especially those who rail against liquor and prostitution) come in for pungent rebuttal. He continues to expose the poor efforts of Baltimore to control outbreaks of typhoid, satirically presenting the standings of the "National Typhoid League" to indicate how badly his native city lags behind other metropolises in combating the disease. Literature, drama, and music are not ignored. In his last column in this volume, Mencken announces a six-week holiday (to be spent in Europe), with his column resuming in early June.