The Wasp — 1877 — page 107: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three opinion pieces attacking Democratic Party corruption and incompetence in San Francisco. The main article, "How Hoodlumism Could Be Suppressed," criticizes Chief of Police Ellis for failing to control "hoodlums" (street gangs/criminals) and suggests the Police Commission is itself corrupt. "The Merchants Seeking to Protect Themselves" describes how loose bankruptcy laws encourage dishonest traders to defraud creditors, with merchants essentially forced to become vigilantes. "Will Judge Farrel Punish Them?" questions whether Judge Farrel will hold accountable those who attacked Mrs. Sheridan (an "estimable and respectable lady"), expressing skepticism about justice under Democratic control in San Francisco. The satire targets systemic Democratic Party corruption enabling criminality and fraud.