The Wasp — 1878 — page 170: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three sections: editorial commentary on California politics, a poem titled "The Bills," and discussion of educational reform. The main satirical content critiques: 1. **McCoppin's Educational Bill** - attacking a proposed law to abolish music and language instruction in public schools, opposed by San Francisco's education establishment 2. **Workingmen's Political Movement** - praising recent electoral victories while warning that Democratic and Republican politicians will attempt to co-opt or corrupt the nascent working-class political organization 3. **"The Bills" poem** - a humorous verse about tailors' bills and unpaid debts, using "bills" as extended wordplay The page reflects *The Wasp's* typical role as a populist San Francisco publication defending working-class interests against political corruption and elite manipulation during the 1870s-1880s era.