Why, one of 'em was talking with me the other day, and says he, 'Powell, I want the Legislature to make an appropriation for the cultivation of canned lobsters in the Susquehanna.' 'How are you going to do it ?' says I.'Why,' says he, 'my plan is to cross the original lobster with some good variety of tin can, breed 'em in and in, and then feed the animal on solder and green labels.' "Perfect ass, of course; but I let him run along, and pretty soon he says, 'I've just bought half a barrel of salt mackerel, which I'm going to put in the Schuylkill.

My idea,' says he, 'is to breed a mackerel that'll be all ready soaked when you catch him.

The ocean mackerel always tastes too much of the salt.

What the people want is a fish that is fresher.' And so, you know, that immortal idiot is actually going to dump those mackerel overboard in the hope that they'll swim about and make themselves at home.

Well, if the governor _will_ appoint such chuckle-head commissioners, what else can you expect?
"However, I said nothing.