The Wasp — 1896 — page 468: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains satirical commentary on San Francisco civic issues and boxing. The main cartoon depicts **Judge Conlan**, a local politician criticized for abusing his authority—specifically, he hauled a man before him on Monday for "inciting a street-car riot" and then discharged him, only to be caught in his own contradictions when reporters questioned his conduct. The satire mocks his pompous judicial overreach and hypocrisy. The text also discusses **boxing matches**, comparing famous fighters like Corbett and Sharkey, and satirizes the obsessive anatomical comparisons newspapers made between boxers' builds—a popular journalistic practice of the era. Additional brief items mock restaurant etiquette and California tourism. The overall tone criticizes local authorities' arbitrary power and the era's excessive sports journalism.