no State Legislation 



offered in the house by some gentleman with a 

 sense of humor, which was to make it read that all 

 the inhabitants of great cities were to receive three 

 dollars a day, and the privilege of laboring on the 

 public works if they chose ; the original author of the 

 bill questioning doubtfully if the amendment "didn't 

 make the measure too sweeping." The measure was, 

 of course, of no consequence whatever to the genuine 

 laboring men, but was of interest to the professional 

 labor agitators; and a body of the latter requested 

 leave to appear before the committee. This was 

 granted, but on the appointed day the chairman 

 turned up in a condition of such portentous dignity 

 as to make it evident that he had been on a spree of 

 protracted duration. Down he sat at the head of the 

 table, and glared at the committeemen, while the lat- 

 ter, whose faces would not have looked amiss in a 

 rogues' gallery, cowered before him. The first 

 speaker was a typical professional laboring man; a 

 sleek, oily little fellow, with a black mustache, who 

 had never done a stroke of work in his life. He 

 felt confident that the Colonel would favor him, a 

 confidence soon to be rudely shaken, and began 

 with a deprecatory smile: 



"Humble though I am" 



Rap, rap, went the chairman's gavel, and the fol- 

 lowing dialogue occurred: 



Chairman (with dignity). "What's that you said 

 you were, sir?" 



Professional Workingman (decidedly taken 

 aback). "I I said I was humble, sir." 



