Date: June 3rd, 1924
Location: Washington D.C.
(Original document available here)
I think it is doubtful whether any appointment of a U.S. Circuit Court judge to the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, that is around Michigan and Ohio, will be made right away. They haven’t been able to agree on what they want. There have been several good names suggested. In fact, they have so many good men that it is difficult to decide which one of the good men they want to take.
I don’t know that I shall have any special message to the Republican National Convention, other than to suggest to them that they make their own choice of Vice President. I think that was the course that Roosevelt adopted in 1904. It seemed to work very well then, and that is the course I am going to adopt in the coming Convention. The delegates will assemble from all over the country. They know the general feeling of the country is better than I can judge of that, and I very much prefer to have them make the choice of a candidate for Vice President, than to undertake to make one myself.
I haven’t any definite plan for a conference by the states on the tax question before the next session of the Congress, that is the tax authorities of the states and the Treasury. Sometime after election and before I prepared my message to the incoming Congress, which will be about the first of December, if the taxing authorities of the states could come together we could get some idea of what their requirements are, in order that we might make an adjustment between what the states are to have in the way of taxation and what the nation is to have. I think that would be especially relevant to the provision of the bill that I signed yesterday relative to the inheritance and state taxes.
The Cabinet didn’t take up any matters today. There were one or two inquiries of the Secretary of Agriculture about the foot and mouth disease in California, which he thinks is getting under control. Then the general business condition. The Secretary of Labor reports that there is no unemployment to amount to anything. And Mr. Hoover reports that business is in very good shape, though he notices a slight recession.
Senators Watson, Herrald and Stanfield came in to speak to me about the matter that is pending in the Supreme Court relative to the Red River valley. That litigation has been going on there between the State of Oklahoma and the State of Texas. I didn’t have a chance to take up the matter very much. I think Senator Stanfield is coming in here again. It was under consideration in the last session of Congress and I thought it might be helpful if I knew more about it.
Mr. President, would it be proper to ask if you care to say anything about an answer to the Japanese note?
I don’t know anything about it other than what has already been in the press. Some response I am sure will be made by the State Department, but I think it will be safer probably for you to get the details of that from Mr. Hughes. I have talked with him about it, but understood that there was nothing that would be done for some days.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper Correspondents
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