The Wasp — 1878 — page 201: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily text-based editorial content rather than a cartoon. The masthead shows *The Illustrated Wasp* was published Saturdays at 602 California Street, San Francisco. The main article, "OUR GREATNESS IN CROOKEDNESS," critiques municipal government corruption in San Francisco. It argues that elected officials—the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, Police Chief, Tax Collector, and Auditors—are unqualified and appointed through political connections rather than merit. The piece sarcastically suggests these positions are treated as "prizes" rather than public trust, and attacks the system's failure to select competent administrators. The satire targets systemic political patronage and institutional dysfunction in late-19th-century San Francisco governance.