The Wasp — 1888 — page 332: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a satirical dialogue between Sergeant Bendall and Carl Dunder, an apparent German immigrant ("I come back from Germany"). The humor targets Dunder's naïve incomprehension of American democratic processes and corrupt machine politics. Dunder believes promised political favors will actually be honored—promising votes in exchange for a city job—only to discover he's been deceived. The satire mocks both Dunder's immigrant innocence and the cynical electoral manipulation of the era, where candidates made empty promises to voters. The piece also includes biographical sketches of Republican political figures and candidates, suggesting this is election-related campaign material from The Wasp's satirical perspective on California politics.