Date: June 10, 1924
Location: Washington, D.C.
(Original document available here)
I do not recall that any suggestion has been made to me about a marine reciprocity plan, as a part of the tariff policy of the United States.
I haven’t had a chance to hear from the Convention at all over the radio. I may get a chance to this afternoon.
I am going to do everything that it is possible to do on the law for putting into effect the bonus act, such as the distribution of the application blanks and similar routine. I had the Director of the Budget in for a conference yesterday morning to see what we could do in that direction, and conferred later with the Assistant Secretary of War. The Director of the Budget will look over the appropriations that are available for any kind of work of that kind and confer with the Comptroller, Mr. McCarl, and we shall work out any practical plan that is possible, not only in relation to the bonus, but in relation to the police and firemen, and other provisions for increases in pay. I don’t know just what we can do. We shall do everything we can. And also in relation to the reclamation bill which failed. There was a reclamation bill that was passed earlier in the session relative to assisting those occupants of the different reclamation projects by giving them an extension of time. It wasn’t quite so broad and full as the provisions in the bill that was drawn as a result of the Fact Finding Commission, but I think it is broad enough to provide a fair remedy for those who are in such straightened circumstances that they are unable to meet their payments. I have directed the Secretary of the Interior to furnish every possible assistance that he can under that law that was signed earlier in the session That was passed in accordance with the recommendation in my message.
Mr. President, who is taking up with General Lord the matter of the firemen, etc., I mean the District representative. That is being done by General Lord. I don’t know that any District representatives could tell you about that. We have all the information at hand.
I can’t give any further statement about the Japanese exclusion clause, other than that I made at the time I signed the bill.
I don’t know that I have any message to communicate to the Cleveland Convention, or any convention plans, other than what I have already mentioned.
I don’t expect that there is going to be any necessity for an extra session of Congress, on account of the reasons that I have already given, – the attempt that we are making to work out the problems that have come as a result of the failure of the deficiency bill. The result of the failure of the naval construction bill is more technical than anything else. The bill has passed both houses, and it is perfectly apparent I think that it will pass the Senate, and probably will pass immediately on the reconvening of the Senate. So that so far as any action that I might contemplate, I can consider the bill virtually as passed. I don’t know that that would make any difference about the suggestion that I have made about a future conference in relation to armaments, either one way or the other. The much more necessary thing in that respect would be the settlement of European complications, and an adjustment of the reparations, so that they might feel that they had reached, insofar as they could, a state of stable conditions in Europe, know what they can depend on, and for that reason would be the more willing to contemplate the peaceful projects which we might suggest at a conference, than to continue to go forward as they have been doing since the armistice with constant military preparations.
Mr. President, anything in the Cabinet?
No. We didn’t do anything. There was no one present but Secretary Hughes and Secretary Hoover.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper CorrespondentsÂ
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