Date: April 8, 1924
Location: Washington, D.C.
(Original document available here)
Here is a matter of some local interest relating to the successor of Judge Francis Baker of the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals of Indiana. I am waiting to get the opinion of the Attorney General about that, for one thing, and it has been represented to me that there is a great deal of sentiment in favor of appointing Judge Anderson, but that he has some important cases pending before him that he really ought to close up. I know that there isn’t any particular urgency about this, because Judge Mack who was on some Commerce Court or something of that kind was retired from that court, and in order to make a place for him when that court was abolished the law provided that he should be eligible for an appointment to the Circuit Court which was done, and which gave him a kind of a robe commission. He has been in New York for most of the time. He has gone back to Chicago and taken up his work again, so that there are as many judges there now as there were before. There is enough work to do, as I understand it, to warrant having a judge with a robe commission, if I may so designate it, which leaves the courts in this Seventh District, I think it is, so that there isn’t any haste about the appointment of a successor. Then if Judge Anderson should be promoted, I wanted to know what agreement can be secured about the appointment of a successor to him. All of those things together have held the matter up.
Mr. President, is the name of Representative Hickey, of Indiana, under consideration for the judgeship of this court?
I don’t know that any special names are under consideration. I think I had a list of a large number of names given to me – appointments that had been suggested from the State of Indiana to different Senators and Representatives, and so on. I think Mr. Hickey’s name was one, and Representative Sanders another – a good many different names.
There was practically no business that came up at today’s Cabinet meeting.
The purpose of the Executive Order to coordinate the various foreign agencies was a matter of economy and efficienty, in order that no matter what particular Department, whether it was Commerce, or Agriculture, or the State Department, a person might represent abroad, whatever information came to him he would give that information to anyone else that was representing another Department. It is simply carrying out the fundamental principle that underlies the Budget and underlies the plan of coordination and cooperation, and the consolidation and rearrangement of the different departments. There is a prepared statement that will be given out to you when you go out, stating that a little more explicitly than what I have in my oral retort.
I don’t care to make any statement at the present time about another World Conference, or any kind of a conference for the discussion of a reduction of armaments and other matters.
I haven’t arrived at any preference with respect to a temporary Chairman of the Republican National Convention. Very likely later I may want to talk the matter over with the members of the Committee, the Executive Committee of the National Committee, which I think is meeting on the 30th of April to consider that question. Very likely I shall confer with them about that.
It was my impression that the Tariff Commission had made public its report on the wheat tariff. I know I was in conference with some representatives of the Commission, and I thought that had been given out. I may be mistaken about it. I thought there were very large portions of it that could be given out. I don’t know as there is anything in any of it that would be detrimental to the wheat raising interests, if it were given to the public. Of course, those things are all given out, as I understand it, in the annual report to the Congress.
I haven’t any specific information about the two percent gas tax bill, which is for the purpose of securing reciprocity between the District of Columbia and Maryland. I am very desirous of securing that reciprocity, and have very little doubt that if the plan has been worked out by the Committees and passed, of course, by the Senate and House, and enacted into law, it would be such a plan as I could approve. Though just the provisions of the present bill, I do not have in mind. I look at the object as a sort to be accomplished with entire sympathy, and want to do anything I can to promote it.
I can’t recall now whether the matter of a new armory for the District of Columbia has been brought to my personal attention or not. I rather think it has, and that it has been referred to General Lord to work out. But I am not entirely certain about that. A number of District of Columbia matters have been passed upon in that way, and it is my impression that that is one of them. But I can’t be entirely certain about it.
I do not recall having received any letter from General Wood relative to Philippine independence; certainly not at a recent date. I have never had any statement that indicated one way or another any desire on the part of Mr. Adams to retire as Chairman of the National Committee, following the Cleveland Convention, so I cannot give you any information about that. Nor do I know anything about the report that Mr. Slemp might become Chairman of the Committee. That has originated entirely outside of my jurisdiction. I don’t know of any foundation for it. At the present time I haven’t any preference to state about who should be National Chairman, in case Chairman Adams retired.
I don’t know that there is any statement that I can make about the result in the Michigan primary, other than what would occur to each one of you. Perhaps with more keenness than it might occur to me. I very likely don’t need to suggest to you that the result was gratifying to me, and that it was in accordance with the reports that had come. I am not at all in touch with the campaign that is being made in the country. Those that are undertaking the general management of my campaign I think had almost nothing to do with the Michigan matter. That was left entirely to the local people in Michigan. There was no one up there that represented me. I think that came up in some collateral way. Someone up there had said something or done something, and the question arose as to whether my management and myself was responsible for it. Upon investigation I found that there was noone up there representing me in any way, other than action of the people themselves undertaking to make their own choice as to who they desired for a nominee and who they desired to send as delegates to the National Convention.
I can’t give you any discussion of the advance summaries of the Dawes report. I don’t know that I should have anything to say about that at any time. I haven’t anything to say about it at present anyway. I haven’t anything to say about any intention of doing something about the appointment of Samuel Knight. I think I have spoken about that at two or three conferences before. The matter is pending before the Senate, as I understand it. I haven’t any additional information about it, and it is there for their determination.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper Correspondents
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