The Wasp — 1896 — page 120: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents six satirical vignettes critiquing corruption and crime in San Francisco. The cartoons mock: 1. **Mayor Sutro's political machine** - showing constituents flowing directly through him 2. **Security Investment Company fraud** - a burglar ignoring an empty safe, suggesting the company itself is the real theft 3. **Pastor's Study corruption** - clergy involved in undisclosed schemes 4. **Circulation manipulation** - advertisers deceived about newspaper readership numbers 5. **Police favoritism** - officers investigating crimes selectively based on social class (lamp-post shelter vs. arrest) 6. **Tammany Hall-style politics** - the chorus line reference suggests organized corruption networks The underlying theme: San Francisco's institutions—government, business, church, media, and police—are systematically corrupt, protecting wealthy interests while exploiting the poor.