The Wasp — 1877 — page 221: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three satirical articles rather than visual cartoons. The pieces critique: 1. **Police corruption in San Francisco**: Chief Ellis is mocked for allegedly protecting gambling operations and ignoring crime in the city's principal streets while claiming to fight lawlessness. 2. **Governor Hayes and Pacific Coast governance**: The article questions Hayes's appointment of a new Arizona territorial governor, suggesting Federal oversight of western states is inadequate and that local Democratic candidates are being ignored. 3. **Railroad monopolies**: The Sonoma Democratic's report on the Santa Rosa railroad opening is criticized for failing to challenge corporate power and the company's questionable labor practices. The overall theme attacks institutional corruption, Federal mismanagement, and corporate influence in California politics during the Reconstruction era.