Date: December 18, 1928
Location: Washington, D.C.
(Original document available here)
From such conferences as I have had, which are not very extensive, I am of the opinion that the peace treaty has sufficient support to insure its ratification without any reservations or accompanying resolutions.
The Boulder Dam will of course take the usual procedure. When it comes here it will go in the course of business to the Department of Interior, and if it calls for an expenditure of money it will go to the Bureau of the Budget for their recommendations. I don’t expect it will go to any other department or that it will be necessary to confer with any engineers, so far as I am concerned, in relation to it. I am advised by the Interior Dept. that they have made some suggestions for trifling changes, which will undoubtedly be adopted.
I am expecting to go down to light the Christmas tree for the Washington Community celebration on Christmas eve, which is the evening of the 24th of course.
I don’t expect to embellish my appearance there with any speech.
I have under consideration accepting an invitation that was extended last spring to go to Sapeloe Island, which is just off the Georgia coast. It is a little north of Jekyl Island, which is perhaps better known to the newspaper profession.
Question: Can you spell that one for us?
President: Sapeloe. It is a corruption of a Spanish word Zapa(or e)lo, I think, which has been corrupted into Sapeloe. Jekyl Island is better known to the newspaper profession as it is said to be the resort in the winter of considerable of the wealth of the country. The owner of Sapeloe is Howard E. Coffin.
Question: Have you any idea when you will go?
President: Well, not until after Christmas.
Question: Have you any idea how long you will stay, if you go?
President: I shall probably return here by the 1st of January, though I am not certain about that. If the President is in town he has a public reception here on New Year’s day.
I am reminded of the approach of the holidays by some of my fellow citizens kindly beginning to send Christmas greetings and remembrances to the White House for Mrs. Coolidge and me.
Senator Shipstead and I talked about the peace treaty that is pending before his Committee. I haven’t any detailed information relative to the increase of the capital stock of the Inland Waterways Corporation. Whatever we thought would be necessary from the report of the War Department and a study of the Bureau of the Budget would of course have been included in the regular budget. What may have been put in there, I don’t not recall.
Mrs. Coolidge is expecting to go to Northampton tomorrow. It is her present plan to return Saturday or Sunday. I don’t know that you need to report the day of her going and coming. Perhaps you better not. But she is expecting to go this week and return by the 1st of next week.
The Navy Dept. tells me that they think there wont by any very serious or extended opposit on to the pending naval bill. There will be some votes against it and some debate opposing it, but not enough to jeopardize its passage.
Rep. Dallinger spoke to me about an additional house office building and I told him that that was so largely a matter for the legislature to determine itself that I didn’t feel I ought to make any specific recommendation about it, that I should be governed very largely in relation to it by what the Congress might wish. He reported to me that under the present arrangement most members of the House have but one room in the office building where they have to keep their force of clerks and stenographers and where those that might wish to confer with them have to wait while somebody else is carrying on a conference with the Representative in the same room, so that he thought it was very desirable that every member of the House be provided with two rooms, one for his office force and waiting room and one for an office where a member might have a little more privacy and be able to give better accommodation to those that might wish to confer with him on public business.
I haven’t any plan about where I shall go after I retire from office. It says here that it has been published that I shall return to Northampton immediately. I presume that is as good a guess as any one could make. It would be quite natural that when I leave Washington I should go back to Northampton. We have some things that quite naturally I would carry back there. I am glad it has been published because it will advertise the town. I am glad to help the press give the town publicity and glad to do what I can to help advertise any other place or possibly any employment that might be benefited.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper Correspondents
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