The Wasp — 1878 — page 201: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **editorial and administrative content**, not a political cartoon. The main illustrated elements are: 1. **The Wasp masthead** — the publication's decorative logo 2. **A sketch of the "Sanfrancisco's new military company"** — depicting Colonel Smedley's Japanese Guard unit The text discusses San Francisco's vulnerability to burglary by the state Legislature and criticizes the city's Water Bill. There's commentary praising a private military organization (the Colonel's Guard) as an exclusive seventy-five-man unit, suggesting the Wasp viewed private security favorably against official corruption. The broader theme criticizes governmental incompetence and dishonesty in San Francisco, positioning private enterprise and militia as more trustworthy alternatives—reflecting 1870s anxieties about urban crime and political corruption.