Date: November 21, 1924
Location: Washington, D.C.
(Original document available here)
There are no members of the Cabinet that are retiring.
I stated my position about the publicity feature of the revenue bill last spring when I signed the act. I haven’t seen anything that would cause me to change my mind about some undesirable features of the bill.
I don’t expect to take any part in the organisation of the House and Senate. I think that is a matter that the House and Senate particularly ought to decide for themselves. They can choose what person there is in the Senate they desire to follow very much better than I can tell them. They can choose such officers as they wish to have in the House to preside over them very much better than I can assist them in that matter. If it is a matter relating to legislation, why then of course I am a party in interest and one that has to act with them, and I am very glad to give my views on that. It seems to me that the Senators themselves can pick out the persons they desire to have for their leader and the other officers of the Senate, and the same is true in respect to the House. I am sure that there are a good many men in both parties capable of filling any position that there is there, and equally confident that anyone that the Senate and House wanted to choose for officers of their respective bodies would be persons entirely acceptable to me.
I haven’t finished my work on the Tariff Commission’s report on sugar.
I don’t expect to attend the football game tomorrow. I am busy working on my message and other things.
I am working on my message to the Congress, which I hope I can make short. We always start out with that in view, but it grows and grows. I expect to send it up rather than to carry it up in person. One of my reasons is that it is my desire to go to Chicago at that time, in order to be present at the International Stock Show.
I haven’t fully decided upon a successor to Mr. Wallace. My present inclination leans rather toward the selection of Mr. Gore. I have hesitated about that because he has been chosen as Governor and necessarily can’t serve for a very long time, but he has been very prominently mentioned by those who have sent in suggestions and seems to have the approbation of some farm organizations.
I don’t expect to go to Marion to attend the funeral of Mrs. Harding. I have sent Captain Andrews out there to extend any assistance that he can. Secretary Weeks and Secretary Work are going and perhaps Secretary Mellon. I don’t know whether any other members of the Cabinet are going or not. Secretary Weeks and Secretary Work will surely go, and Secretary Mellon wasn’t quite certain about whether to go or not.
I don’t think there is anything I can say at the present time about a disarmament conference.
And I haven’t taken any final action about filling the vacancies on the bench in California. I am naturally waiting to consult the Senators from that state and to get reports from the Department of Justice on the various suggestions that may be made.
I judge that the agricultural commission wouldn’t be able entirely to finish its work until after the adjournment of Congress. I understand it is its intention to present a report early in January relative to any legislation it may think is necessary. Of course the questions of administration and so on and the work that may be done by the farm organizations themselves, the Federal Loan Board, Intermediate Credit organizations, and so on, will probably go on until after this session of the Congress.
I haven’t any plan for the immediate withdrawal of the United States Marines that are now acting as a legation guard in Nicaragua. I haven’t any very great detailed and precise information about that situation. I knew that there had been some troubleand it was my impression that we had sent some marines in to guard the Legation, and that the difficulty was in relation to a presidential election. As I have heard nothing about it from the State Department for some time I had taken it for granted that the situation was cleared up. I think that is the case, but I haven’t any definite information.
I have already spoken about the disarmament conference and the income tax publicity feature.
The question of a reduction of railroad wages being necessary in order that there may be a reduction in freight rates. I doubt that it will be found that it is necessary to reduce railroad wages, though of course an offhand opinion about that is of no particular value. I should think there would be more hope in expecting to find economies in operation, than in a reduction of wages. I don’t think that conditions are such at the present time that reductions in wages are likely to be contemplated.
That covers the inquiries.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper CorrespondentsÂ
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