Date: April 15, 1924
Location: Washington, DC
(Original document available here)
There is very little that I can say about the Dawes report. I haven’t examined it minutely. About the only expression I can make about it is the hope that it will result in a settlement. There is an inquiry here as to whether that would have any effect on the payment to the United States of the amount that is due it as the cost of the Army of Occupation. I don’t understand that it has any effect on that, though as I say I haven’t read it carefully enough to be certain. If it had affected it in any way, I am rather certain that I should have been informed about it through the usual diplomatic channels. Mr. Logan who represents the Government over there would have informed the State Department and the State Department would have kept me informed of anything of that nature that might affect any claims that were due to the United States.
I merely discussed yesterday with Chairman Adams something of the plans for the National Convention, the work of preparing information for the drawings and the platform, and things of that nature. I don’t expect to designate a commission to assist me in the arbitration of the controversy between Peru and Chile, supposing that I shall have the advantage of the advice of the Secretary of State, which I think will be sufficient without the assistance of any outside commission.
The final selection of the members of the Mexican Claims Commission of course is a matter of agreement between our Government and the Mexican Government. That is in process of being arrived at.
There wasn’t anything of importance at the Cabinet meeting today. The Secretary of Labor reported that there was very little unemployment – some dullness in the New England textile centers, and some readjustment in the coal fields, but not anything of importance. The Secretary of Commerce reported that there was a very large number of contracts let for building in different cities. The number is larger than it was last year at this time. The Secretary of Labor also reported that there has been some increase in wages in the building trades, that adjustments had all been made in the building trades, and so he didn’t think there was any chance that there would be any labor difficulty there, that the increase of wages indicates, of course, the press for building operations, and that business in that direction is very good. The Secretary of War spoke of the efforts he is making to enable an adjustment at Chicago, relative to the amount of water the Chicago drainage canal is to take out of the lake. There is nothing that can be done about that at the present time, because it is pending before the Supreme Court. I think Mr. Madden, Representative Madden, of Chicago, has a bill pending that undertakes to deal with the situation. He is very solicitous that nothing be done there that would by any means imperil the health of that great community. That I think can be satisfactorily adjusted.
I was only referring in my message to the Senate, as I think an inspection of the message would show, to the inquiry that was proposed in the Department of Secretary Mellon.
I think I shall send to the Congress, at least for its information, the report of the Department of the Interior Advisory Commission on reclamation. Someone referred to that as the Department of Agriculture (it is the Department of Interior, as the person that wrote this question undoubtedly knows) having made that report. I think for the information of the Congress I shall send it up there. Secretary Work is away at the present time, and I want to confer with him about it before I make a final determination. I don’t think there is any comment that I can make in relation to the proposed legislation about the exclusion of Japanese and others, who are not entitled under our laws to take out naturalization papers and become citizens.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper Correspondents
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