The Wasp — 1881 — page 510: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes "useless deputies" in San Francisco government. The central figure is an auditor at his office window, wielding a knife labeled "USELESS DEPUTIES," preparing to cut off the tail of a dachshund wearing a collar marked "SHERIFF'S OFFICE." A poster on the wall above depicts the same dog, suggesting this is a recurring problem. The cartoon's title and imagery suggest that certain deputies—depicted as the dog's "useless tail"—were viewed as expendable bureaucratic positions that should be eliminated. The satire critiques municipal government inefficiency and calls for removal of redundant staff positions, using the dog metaphor to mock officials perceived as dead weight in the sheriff's department.