The Wasp — 1891 — page 596: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features a portrait of **Hon. Jos. D. Taylor**, a Congressman from Ohio, accompanying an article titled "Alcoholic Liquor Traffic Commission." Taylor advocated for appointing an impartial federal commission to investigate the effects of alcohol on public health, morality, crime, and labor—rather than relying on existing state-level prohibition laws. The article argues this commission would gather objective data to inform national policy on alcohol regulation. The satire targets the ongoing **temperance debate** of the era: competing factions disagreed whether alcohol should be prohibited, taxed, or left to individual states. Taylor's proposal for fact-gathering represents a moderate, investigative approach to this contentious issue, contrasting with both strict prohibitionists and those opposing regulation.