Friday, January 11, 1924. Federals Advance, Coolidge speaks.

Mexican Federals retook Pachuca and advanced on Tuxpan.

President Coolidge held a press conference:

Here is a small rumor, I don’t generally pay much attention to the rumors because I know the press isn’t interested in rumors, about Mr. Olsen of North Dakota resigning in favor of Mr. Roy Frazier. That is a rumor that never came to my attention. I guess you will be perfectly safe in saying it has no foundation. It is nothing I ever heard of. Mr. Frazier I met when he was down here. He is interested in securing some agricultural legislation. I think he has gone back, Mr. Olsen I never happened to hear of. He is an internal revenue commissioner. I have no doubt he is a good one.

I don’t know anything about Governor General Wood returning to the U. S. I don’t think he has any intention of coming here, and I know of no reason why he should come. I think any information that would be required from him could be sent by him very easily, if any were needed.

I think nothing has been done about selecting a Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to succeed Mr. Hill. That is being looked after by Mr. Mellon, and I don’t really know whether Mr. Hill’ s resignation is final or not. I don’t know that it isn’t, nor do I know that it is. So I can’t give you much of any definite information about that.

I have three or four inquiries here about the Tariff Commission. I like to keep in touch somewhat with the work of the Commissions, now that I have my message out of the way, and I am giving a little more attention to administrative features. I have had several conferences, as you know, with the Shipping Board to try and see what we could do in the way of adopting a policy for them, and yesterday I had a long conference with the Tariff Commission, in order that I might get a better idea of their problems. They have pending before them a good many different questions that go there from my office, and I wanted to see how they were getting along, what progress they were making, and what their problems are. I do not feel like giving out any information about that now. I think you can depend upon the Tariff Board to make disinterested reports, and so to conduct their hearings and make their decisions, that the results will meet with the approval of those acquainted with the circumstances. I don’t know of any member of the Board, I will say here, that is financially interested in anything pending before the Board. I don’t know that there aren’t several of the Board that may be. But I don’t know of any that are.

Mr. President, is it your plan to have similar conferences with other Boards?

I think I shall from time to time. I haven’t adopted that as a definite policy any more than I have stated before, that very likely as the work of legislation comes on I shall want to give considerable attention to that. I just had a conference with Senator Smoot relative to financial legislation – to see what the prospect is. He reports it is encouraging, and I shall undoubtedly be in conference with different members of the House and Senate to keep myself informed, and in that way to see what I can do that might be of assistance; also any of the other Boards, as their problems are brought to my attention.

Mr. President, will it be in order to ask whether Senator Smoot brought any more encouraging report about the bonus, about the possibility of the Senate supporting a veto?

I don’t know that I would want to anticipate what I might do with legislation that was brought to me. I have stated my position in relation to bonus legislation in my message, – –

Mr. President, I was thinking more of what Senator Smoot brought in – –and I have enlarged somewhat on that in my budget message. I don’t believe it is quite the thing for the executive to make public announcements that he would veto certain legislation that might come to him in advance of its arrival here – though there are certain inferences always of what might be done. You gentlemen are very adroit at that.

We might speculate on that, Mr. President.

I don’t need to stimulate you.

I haven’t decided on the Chairmanship of the Tariff Commission for the coming year. There are several very good men on the Commission. I think any one of them is well qualified to be Chairman. I believe they have adopted, on the Interstate Commerce Commission, the plan of rotation. One man is Chairman one year, and another man the next year. It is a practice that has more or less merit in it, and oftentimes might be a very helpful solution.

Mr. President, would you care to say what the Cabinet discussed today?

We discussed almost nothing this morning. I was taken up taken up considerably in time by people that wanted to see me, so that I was about twelve minutes late getting in, I don’t think we stayed in session very long.

Any resignations, Mr. President?

No, no Cabinet resignations. Hone of the Cabinet resigned this morning. Several of them were absent, and that was the reason why the session was so short.