Date: March 27, 1925
Location: Washington, D.C.
(Original document available here)
The members of the Muscle Shoals Commission will be paid a compensation for their services. I don’t know that I have designated any Chairman. I rather took it for granted that the first man on the list, Ex-Representative McKenzie, would act as Chairman. It isn’t technically a Commission. Undoubtedly it will be referred to as such, and perhaps that is the easiest way to designate it. In my letter of notice – of appointment – I advised the men that I asked to serve that they would be associated, if you want to call it that, or advised by the Secretary of War, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Commerce. I don’t know when they will hold their first meeting. I suppose very soon.
I don’t expect to make any landings on this trip that I am about to take on the Mayflower. I think Senator and Mrs. Gillett are going with me, Mr. and Mrs. Dodd, Mr. and Mrs. Glover, Mrs. Hert, and our own family.
I haven’t made any decision about the new Minister to China. There are several names under consideration. One of them is Mr. MacMurray of the Dept. My hesitation about him is to decide whether he would be of more value here in Washington serving in the Department, or of more value in China. He is an expert on Eastern affairs in the State Department – not the only one, but he is regarded as the chief expert.
I don’t know that any particular action has been taken on the part of the Government relative to receivership for the St. Paul Railroad. The matter was considered prior to the receivership by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce. There didn’t seem to be anything that could be done about it. Such action will be taken as to protect any interest that the Government may have. The Government is one of the large creditors, though I believe its loan is secured.
There is nothing that I can say further about another arms limitation – Senator Borah and I spoke of it somewhat incidentally. It is a matter that he has been interested in. I think you may recall that it was he who proposed, and I think the proposal was adopted, putting a suggestion into the Navy Appropriation bill in the spring of 1921, a suggestion for the calling of a conference. I think each Naval Appropriation bill since that has carried a suggestion of that kind. There is one in the present bill – the principle of having an arms conference for an agreement between nations for the reduction of armaments.
Now, I haven’t any plan to leave Washington about June 17th. I doubt very much if Mrs. Stearns said anything of the kind. I haven’t made any arrangements in relation to that.
I don’t know of any plan to consider any tariff bill at the next session of the Congress.
There isn’t anything further that I can say about prohibition enforcement. I am making every effort to enforce the law and am going to continue to.
I expect to be back on the Mayflower Monday morning, possibly Sunday night, probably Monday morning.
McKenzie Moss has been mentioned as a possible appointee for Alien Property Custodian. I think Mr. Wilson in the office over there has been mentioned. Judge Abbott who also is in that office has been mentioned – perhaps half a dozen others. I haven’t made any decision about it yet.
I haven’t any information about the Government Printing Office matter. I indicated the other day that I had a communication suggesting that there had been some technical violation of the law relative to the discharge of some veterans. That will be investigated and if any persons have been discharged that there has been any error about, they will be reinstated. I assume that goes without saying.
The Fine Arts Commission had an interesting suggestion this morning that they made to me relative to medals. We have a man in the Department who makes the models for medals in connection with his work relative to the models that he makes, I suppose for our coins. The Fine Arts Commission suggested that it would be worthwhile to get some of the best talent in the country to make models for important medals. There is always a medal made showing the face of the President. They said that those medals went into collections abroad where a good deal of work is done on the making of medals, and a good deal made of it, and unless we get the very best talent we had in this country for that purpose, the comparison between our medals in foreign collections and those that represented foreign governments, those medals that represent foreign governments, the comparison wouldn’t be very favorable. I don’t know just what can be done about that.
Mr. President, did they mean that there should be competition?
Well, they didn’t suggest that, but suggested that for these more important medals perhaps we could get someone outside the mint to make the models. I think perhaps that can be done.
That seems to cover the questions of the day.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper Correspondents
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