The Wasp — 1888 — page 38: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts a well-dressed gentleman (likely representing a political figure or government official) standing over fallen, prostrate figures labeled "ANARCHY" while a crowd waves flags behind him. The title "ILL TREAT COLUMBIA" is a pun—"ill treat" meaning mistreat, while "Columbia" personifies the United States. The cartoon appears to satirize a political leader's harsh response to anarchist movements or labor unrest. The fallen figures represent anarchists being suppressed, while the cheering crowd suggests public approval. The Wasp magazine was known for satirizing San Francisco politics and labor issues of the late 19th/early 20th century. The joke plays on the ambiguity between "ill" (poor treatment) and the martial crackdown being depicted as acceptable governance.