Date: December 22, 1925
Location: Washington, DC
(Original document available here)
We are still working on the questions involved in the invitation from the League of Nations, in order to see what proper response can be made.
General Butler hasn’t resigned from the Marine Corps, so far as I know. The resignation wouldn’t come to me. I suppose he would be the proper person to interrogate about that. But I have no information about it.
I haven’t any information about the Noyes plan for farm relief that isn’t public property. All proposals for farm relief will be taken up by Secretary Jardine and carefully considered. We are working on that problem all the time. Some of the best minds in the United States are constantly engaged on it.
I have already spoken about the League of Nations invitation.
Chairman O’Connor came in this morning to confer with me about possible competition that might arise in rates between American lines and foreign lines, to see what steps could be taken by our country to support our own ships. I mean those that are privately owned.
I think one or two Christmas pardons have been granted. I don’t know just how many. I signed several pardons the other day and I noticed some of them were to go into effect about Christmas time.
Here is a question that says that Premier Mussolini said “that the parliamentary system is in a state of obvious decadence in all countries which have followed it.” I haven’t any information about that. We don’t have the parliamentary system in this country. I would assume that he was referring to the parliamentary form of government that is in use on the continent. And of course the British Parliament is the great example of it.
The matter of protecting our people as well as we can from the high price of rubber is being taken up by the Secretary of Commerce. I think it has also been considered by the Secretary of State. I don’t think that this is any recent beginning of such activity. It has been going on for a long time.
When the Tacna-Arica appeal has been considered, I imagine that the first step will be to notify the countries interested to file briefs. Now, it is possible that I may arrive at some conclusion in relation to that, with the advice of course, of the State Department some time today. I want to expedite it in every possibly way.
I have already spoken about the activities in the rubber situation.
I don’t know anything about father’s Christmas plans, except in the most general way. I don’t know of any activities that he is likely to engage in on that day that are different from those that he usually pursues.
I have already referred to General Butler.
Perhaps I should say that what we are working on in relation to the invitation from the League of Nations is what method we can best pursue in working out some way to accept the invitation. The studies that are being made are of a constructive and affirmative nature.
About the appointment of Mr. Taylor. There seems to be a little misapprehension about that. I arrived at the conclusion that Mr. Taylor would be a good man to appoint, and after reaching that conclusion, as I usually do I sent for the Senators from that state. One of them was here and the other one was away where he couldn’t be reached. I sent for Senator Underwood to inquire if he had any personal objections. He said he had not, and he undertook to make inquiries of his colleague and I understood he had no objection to the appointment. I make that statement in order that it may not be thought that Senator Underwood or any one else dictated the appointment. They were inquired of because the appointment lay in their state. I think the Democratic ranking member on the committee was away and so I wasn’t able to inquire of him, which I possibly might have done.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper Correspondents
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