The Wasp — 1891 — page 588: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a political cartoon from *The Wasp* (San Francisco, June 20, 1891) satirizing Oakland political corruption. A large, corrupt figure wearing a top hat sits atop a "Pool Room" belonging to "Whitehead & Co." He's literally controlling eight smaller men labeled as Oakland councilmen, whom he holds like puppets on strings. The caption identifies the central figure as an "Oakland Pool Siller" (a person who runs a poolroom/gambling operation). The satire suggests that these eight city councilmen are controlled by gambling interests and corrupt business operators rather than serving the public. The threatening statement about putting "a mortgage on the churches next" indicates the satirist's fear that corruption will extend to civic institutions. The "pocket borough" title suggests Oakland politics have become privatized property of a small corrupt elite.