The Wasp — 1894 — page 402: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon illustrates "General Ben Butler Leaves the Seal Rocks and Joins the Industrial Army." Butler, a controversial Union general and politician, is depicted among Coxey's Army—a group of unemployed men who marched to Washington in 1894 demanding relief. The cartoon satirizes Butler's political opportunism by showing him joining this working-class movement, likely mocking his attempts to appeal to labor constituencies or his inconsistent positions. The accompanying articles mock various figures and institutions: slander against the California League of Republican Newspapers, complaints about chicken prices, and humorous anecdotes about local San Francisco characters. The overall tone is irreverent satire targeting politicians, newspapers, and social pretensions of the day.