The Portland daily press., 1884-12-31
Cleveland's Presents.
The Big Barn Filled with Gifts from the
GOVeFnor's Admirers.


The queerest place In the State is Gov.
Cleveland's barn, or storeroom, says the Al
bany Times-Star. Your correspondent was
permitted to visit these quarters to-day, and
a stranger collection of old junk It would be
impossible to find anywhere. The barn Is a
substantial structure, built Just back Of the
executive mansion. and during the admins
tration of more wealthy Governors It was
used for the carriages and horses Of these
worthless. Gov. Cleveland, however, doesn't
keep team, and since his election to the
presidency, the vacant barn has been used TO
store the vast collection OF miscellaneous
presents chat come pouring In from every
quarter Of the Union.
Formerly these packages were delivered at
the executive chamber on the bill, but a.
they kept constantly increasing in number
and variety, it was found impossible TO re-
celve them there, and so a kind OF union de-
| pot was opened 10 the barn. It keeps one
man busy receiving, arranging and shipping
| back the packages addressed to the PresI-
| dent-elect. In spite Of the fact that the
| greatest care is exercised in finding out who
| sends the stuff, and his address, many of the
| packages remain unidentified. Tue Cover
nor's orders are that all presents shall be
| returned to the sender At once. But, as
about half of the gifts come ANONYMOUSLY.
1t is not so easy to carry out the instructions.
"A clerk was busy marking aud sending
away packages when your correspondent
| called to make tour Of the place. The col
lection of bald eagles, bicycles, chairs, desks.
brushes aud othef bric-a-brac would have
put junk shop to the blush. Yet there was
one marked difference between the stock In
the Governors barn and the Junk shop
mere every article was brand new. The eagle
hspped his wings dolsfully In his wooden
cage with an air that told plainly 1t was the
hrst time that be had ever been made q show
OF, and two owls stared in a wonderfully
knowing way at the expressman who was
taking the things away. Not a speck of
dust dimmed the brightness of the glittering
bicycle that was promptly going back to Bos-
ton, and the red plush of comfortable arm
chair showed its neWness through the thin
covering over 1t.
The only thing that bore traces OF wear
was barrel covered with country mud, and
with number of openings cut In the stayes
through which the red and mellow golden OF
New York apples showed. A second ex-
pressman was unloading half barrel Of
cider that had just arrived, when the clerk
caught him and told bim to wait. A careful
DAoWO0 ~ w AdNo COuo IIOMl
Rinhampton, N. Y,., and, without taking It
from the wagon, a recuIr. ..ni o Dli' Oh isoins
were made out, and the stuff shippea 80.
So it went all day. As fast as one thing was
returned another came to take its place, and
the clerk considered himself lucky If two ar
ticles did not come in place of every one sent
back.
1t is easy to understand how simple conn
try folks take pleasure in sending little to-
kens OF affection to the man they honor and
respect, aud in whose good fortune they have
had part. But why these otkens 90 often
take the form of animals is question that
sadly perplexes the poor clerk One man In
Brooklyn sends a dog, another in Maine
sends two owls. third forwards an eagle. a
fourth believes that nothing less than a NAL
tese cat will make the President happy.
while fifth hopes to win favor by the pre-
seDtation of fawD.
II this sort of thing continues the barn at
tacned TO the executive mansion will soon
contain menagerie which will make our
Barnum hang his head in shame The
Presldent-elect takes it good-naturedly and
as huge joke. Said he once, laughing over
the matter: Somebody out West, don't
remember his name just now, sent me an
eagle the other day. What am / to do with
an eagle? presume they will be sending
me an elephant next;;' then, musngly.
He would be just as useful as an eagle,
though"