The Wasp — July 10, 1880 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "California's Induce[ment]" This cartoon satirizes California's recruitment of immigrants during the late 19th/early 20th century. A group of poor European emigrants—identifiable by their modest clothing and bundles—gather at a dock, reading a sign advertising "Go to Kansas, Cheap Lands" and "To Arizona," "Nebraska," "Utah," "Home," and "Emigrants." The satire critiques California's apparent role in luring desperate immigrants with false promises of opportunity, only to redirect them elsewhere or exploit them. The harbor scene with ships suggests maritime immigration points of entry. The cartoon likely exposes the gap between California's recruitment rhetoric and the actual conditions or intentions facing newcomers—a commentary on how states competed for labor while potentially deceiving vulnerable populations.