The Wasp — 1892 — page 112: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes San Francisco Democrats during what appears to be an internal party conflict. The main figure—a man with a top hat shown emerging from flames—represents an "unhappy Democratic sucker," suggesting Democratic Party members were being manipulated or deceived. The burning papers beneath him are labeled with party-affiliated newspapers and organizations, indicating internal party disputes or factional infighting. The two men on the right, armed with what appears to be a giant syringe or injection device, represent political operators "scrapping" (fighting) the next Saturday night, as announced in the notice. The overall message: San Francisco Democrats were caught between competing factions, burning their own party resources in the process—hence "out of the frying-pan into the fire."