Date: September 12, 1924
Location: Washington, D.C.
(Original document available here)
I haven’t had any report from the Attorney General relative to a vacancy on the federal bench at El Paso, Texas, so I can’t give you any information about that. Naturally I would make an appointment there as soon as we could determine whom to appoint. There had not ought to be so much difficulty with two Senators from Texas of the same party.
I haven’t reached any decision about the Sugar tariff.
Mr. President, do you think you will reach it before election ?
I think so. I have been over the papers with some care and I think I can reach a decision very soon.
Here is a question – “Has it been definitely determined that the President will not make any political speeches during the campaign” (laughter) and “Will there be any talks over the radio?” –
Mr. President, there have been a lot of statements that your speeches will be non-political. There is a statement in the New York Times that you are going to make a western tour.
Well, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that. I don’t know whether I shall make any talks over the radio or not. Without making any definite arrangement, it is rather expected that occasions will arize where I will talk over the radio other than what I have, but nothing has developed in that connection yet. It does happen of course that I go out to speak on occasions that are not purely political more than I do on political occasions. That is rather inevitable with the Presidential office, unless the President is out on a political tour. Someone is going to have a celebration at Baltimore, or Philadelphia, and so on. These occasions are naturally of historical importance generally, and they like to have the President come.
Do you intend to go to Philadelphia, Mr. President?
I am expected to go up there. It isn’t decided beyond change, but that is my present expectation. That is the 150th Anniversary of the meeting of the First Continental Congress, and of great historical importance.
I don’t know whether I shall at Washington, or some other place, make what you might call a purely political speech. I haven’t any plan about it. I haven’t decided whether I shall or whether I shall not. It will be dictated by what circumstances arise and what the occasion may be.
I have had an invitation from the Governor of Missouri to go, I think, to St. Louis, though perhaps it is Jefferson City. But all I could say to him was that I couldn’t give him very much encouragement. I have had an invitation to speak in Illinois. I don’t recall now anything definite in Ohio and other places in the West. So there isn’ t any plan about my going out there.
The only authentic statement about my position in relation to a Conference for Limitation of Armaments is contained in the different speeches and addresses that I made.
I am expecting to reappoint Judge McMahon. I haven’t decided about the Juvenile Court Judge.
I don’t know as I can give you anything that hasn’t already occurred to you in relation to the parade today. I thought it was a very fine demonstration of the patriotic sentiment of the District, and of course I am sure that coupled with that was the knowledge and feeling that it was in a way a compliment to General Pershing, who is just retiring from being General in Command of the Armies. I don’t know as that is the right technical term, but you know what I mean. Yes, that is right, the General in Command of the Armies. I was very much pleased with the appearance of the regular troops, especially those of the Army and Marine Corps. I think there weren’t any sailors in the parade. Yes, there was a small detachment from the Mayflower. I noticed that because when we have parades in Boston, of course that is right on the coast, and there are always some sailors there from the battleships that take part in the parades, and from the Navy Yard there. But here of course we don’t have so many sailors at the Navy Yard at the present time.
There are several inquiries about Defense Day, but I guess I have covered that as far as I can. With what took place at the parade and so on you will be able to make up your paper for tomorrow, even though the inquiries haven’t been numerous and the conference hasn’t been long.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper CorrespondentsÂ
The Coolidge Foundation gratefully acknowledges the volunteer efforts of John Sullivan III who prepared this document for digital publication.