"Plain Tourists"

In Los Angeles last week, a red-headed sharp-nosed man and his wife got off a Southern Pacific train from Texas. He explained: "We're just a couple of plain tourists seeking modest accommodations and a chance to look around Southern California quietly."

But Southern California refused to per mit itself to be looked around quietly by these particular tourists. It seized them up in its capacious hospitality and whirled them about in a lavish circuit of inspection. Tremendous crowds bellowed "hurrahs!" at them. Newsmen dogged their heels. Flowers and fruit poured in upon them. California citizens made the visit of a one-time president of the U. S. and his wife a Royal Progress.

Los Angeles, in itself an exhibition, showed off at its best. More important, Citizen Calvin Coolidge showed off in return. From the moment California's Governor Clement Calhoun Young and Los Angeles' Mayor John Clinton Porter met him at the bedraped station until his departure for Santa Barbara to visit Mark Requa, he received enough acclaim, applause, and attention to flatter a President, to say nothing of a king.

Citizen Coolidge was no more than inside his hotel room before he gave the press an interview. Fingering a cigar, he said:

"I'll do anything while here except make a speech. We are very much interested in the motion pictures--"

Newsman: Are you out here to sign any movie contract?

Citizen Coolidge: I have been in the movies for some time but never professionally. I suppose everyone who comes here has a motion picture complex. I haven't.

Newsman: The photographers are getting nervous to get a picture.

Citizen Coolidge: Oh, that's chronic with them.

Later a bold newsgatherer slipped into the hotel suite to find Citizen Coolidge emerging from his shower. Asked the newsman: "Mr. Coolidge, is it true that you are planning to run again for the Presidency?" Waving him away with a bathtowel, Citizen Coolidge exclaimed: "Depart!"

The next day Citizen Coolidge devoted largely to business. As a New York Life Insurance Company director, he walked to that company's Los Angeles branch office, inspected its equipment, greeted its 200 employes. With District Superintendent Clark Bell he solemnly discussed the life insurance situation in Southern California.

Walking back to his hotel, he was surrounded and followed by a friendly curious crowd. He looked as if he were leading a parade. Casually he threw away the stub of the cigar he was smoking. The crowd wavered, broke, dove into the gutter for the treasured butt. Citizen Coolidge halted to watch men, women and children scramble and scratch, kick and slap. A woman arose from the scrimmage with the remains of the cigar. As she dropped it into her handbag, Citizen Coolidge grinned his amusement.

That evening Mr. and Mrs. Coolidge attended the 3,000th performance of the California Mission Play written and produced by John Steven McGroarty.

Citizen Coolidge ate ham and eggs next morning with 2,000 at the Los Angeles Breakfast Club. When the Duncan sisters sang a song which ended:

"We'd get up any morning to have ham and eggs with you!" Citizen Coolidge jumped almost excitedly to his feet to start the applause.

Next the Coolidges went out to Hollywood. At the Warner Brothers Studio Viennese Nights was being filmed. As they entered upon a beer garden set, a chorus of 200 men and women about the tables rose to greet them with a tremendous song With Will Hays, Mary Pickford Fairbanks and Jack Warner, they took seats on a dais to watch the "shooting" of several scenes. Mrs. Coolidge laughed as Louise Fazenda made love to Bert Roach across a beer table. Mr. Coolidge did not laugh. The visitors were then shown a "playback" of the scenes just taken in a nearby projection room. Citizen Coolidge's comment: "That's fine."

Hollywood is on Los Angeles' northwest flank; on the southwest is Culver City.

There, too, went, the Coolidges, for there are the studios of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer whose Louis Mayer is the most potent of resident California cinemen. And there was snapped a memorable picture--the most reserved and tightly conventional of U. S. presidents shaking hands with and faintly bowing to Marion Davies, beautiful, versatile and spectacular Hearst star.

A Coolidge host for dinner was Harry Chandler (Los Angeles Times'). Another guest .was Funnyman Will Rogers who claimed he had "a long talk with Mr. Coolidge" and "a beat on all other newspaper men" with an interview published in his daily syndicate article. Excerpts:

"Mr. Coolidge, what is your impression of the general condition of our country?"

"Yes."

"How long do you think the disarmament conference will last?"

"No."

"What do you think of the way the Senate has formed this obstruction coalition?"

"Uh."

"What's the President going to do about this Prohibition situation?"

"Huh."

"Who is the logical candidate in case Mr. Hoover don't care for another term?"

"Uh huh."

"Will you have another biscuit, Mr. Coolidge?"

"Probably."

Exhausted by his excursions about Los Angeles, Citizen Coolidge next went to rest at the home of William Wrigley Jr. on the Wrigley-owned island of Catalina 25 miles off the coast. From there he went in a glass-bottomed boat to inspect the submarine gardens. His comment: "Ah!"

Meanwhile political Washington was acutely conscious of every move made by Citizen Coolidge in California. Speculation continued as to the significance, if any, of this Coolidge junket. President Hoover's White House secretariat, more alarmed about it than anyone else, expressed secret misgivings lest it might portend presidential developments in 1932.

President Hoover himself was not so apprehensive. He sent his predecessor a telegram asking him to dedicate the $6,000,000 Coolidge Dam on the Gila River in Arizona. Mr. Coolidge did not. promptly accept. The Hoover message was the first personal communication between the two men, as far as is known, since Mr. Coolidge turned his office over to Mr. Hoover a year ago.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.