The Wasp — 1888 — page 397: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *The Wasp* depicts a bearded man in formal dress holding a flagpole labeled "CIVIL SERVICE REFORM"—a major political issue of the late 19th century. He appears to be a government reformer or politician defending civil service reform against opposition. The demonic figures above and the caricatured men surrounding him (one labeled with references to "BAYARDS," "DIPLOMACY," and "CHINESE TREATY") represent political opponents or corrupt interests threatened by reform. The cartoon satirizes the struggle between civil service reformers and established political machines that benefited from patronage and corruption. The incomplete caption "WHO WILL MOURN" suggests ironic commentary on who would miss the old corrupt system if reform succeeded.