The Wasp — 1914 — page 92: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page depicts a confrontation between a governor and a man named Burnham, who is accused of being associated with "Hellfire Hicks"—apparently a pirate. Smith, arriving by boat, dramatically accuses Burnham of being the pirate himself and seducing the governor's daughter. The satire targets political corruption and the governor's apparent complicity with criminal elements. The governor's promise of a "fair hearing" rings hollow given his admitted obligations to Hicks. Smith's theatrical language and the invocation of maritime piracy suggest this references actual 19th-century scandals involving California political figures and organized crime. The satire mocks the governor's inability or unwillingness to enforce justice when politically inconvenient.