Excerpts of the President's News Conference

I think I will reiterate that I was especially pleased with the work that the Congress did and because I didn't want to take all the glory of it I hope that won't be misunderstood. I thought it was especially to the credit of the Congress that they had functioned as a legislative body in accordance with recommendations that I had made in my [message] without being constantly forced into some position by action on my part. I think Senator Curtis is entitled to great credit for his management in the Senate. It is a difficult position that he had. He possesses great tact and great experience, and has a wide knowledge of parliamentary law. I depended upon him when I was President of the Senate to advise with me about intricate questions of parliamentary law and found him very scholarly in that regard. And in the House the Speaker, Mr. Longworth, was equally successful—and Floor Leader Colonel Tilson. I saw more of Colonel Tilson than I did of the Speaker. That was because Colonel Tilson was directly in charge of things on the floor, though he always acted with the advice and concurrence of the Speaker, but it happened that I conferred with him oftener than I did with the Speaker on account of that arrangement that they had. I don't see how either body could have been conducted during the session better than they were, and it is very difficult to see how they could have produced more constructive legislation and spent less time in useless debate than was spent in the last session. I don't recall a time when there was greater harmony between the Executive Branch of the Government and the Legislative Branch than there has been since I have been President. I have had the support of Congress in all major things that I have been interested in and some things that are not decided yet, but those that have been decided have almost all been decided in accordance with my recommendations.