The Wasp — 1879 — page 236: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts a bearded figure on the left (likely representing capital, management, or an exploitative employer) operating a large grinding machine labeled as a tool of oppression. He holds papers reading "LET US HAVE A RIOT!" and "RULE OF THE ADMINISTRATION." Caricatured working-class men feed into the machine while documents reference "THE NEW CONSTITUTION," "VOTE FOR," and "PASS AND SIGN THE HAT!!!" A small dog sits nearby. The satire suggests that workingmen are being deliberately ground down—literally destroyed—by those in power who manipulate political systems, constitutional changes, and voting procedures to their advantage. The cartoon criticizes how workers are exploited and used up by capitalist systems disguised as democratic processes.