The Wasp — 1880 — page 72: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a confrontation at a fence between two bulls labeled with "NEW CHARTER" and "OLD CHARTER" flags, while two men below appear alarmed or confused (one asking "?"). The bulls are charging toward each other, suggesting a conflict over San Francisco's municipal governance. In 1880, San Francisco was debating charter revision—the fundamental document governing city operations. The cartoon satirizes this political struggle as a violent clash between old and new governmental frameworks. The working-class figures below presumably represent ordinary citizens caught in the middle of elite political disputes about how the city should be run. The question mark emphasizes public confusion about what these competing visions actually meant.