Excerpts of the President's News Conference

I am thinking of going out to the circus grounds this afternoon at the invitation of Mr. [John] Ringling. I have some things to do here in the office, so I won't be able to stay for the show. I think he has one or two very interesting animals, or fish, I don't know which, or sea elephant, or something of that kind. I don't know whether that is the only thing you can catch with a hook and line, or whether you scare [spear] it. But he thought I might be interested in that animal.

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I don't know of any particular analysis that General Jadwin has made of the flood control bill that went through the House. He and I looked over the bill together and made some marks on it, indicating some changes that we should like to have made in it. I presume that is the origin of any report that may have been made that he made an analysis. I don't know of anything that he has made relative to it that could be published. Anyone could take the bill and make an analysis of it. The financial features of it haven't been improved. Every time that changes have been made it has been to make the financial features more unacceptable. As it went through the House it had the Sacramento River, I think it is, hitched on to the end of it. I haven't much of any information about the Sacramento River. I know that the Government is helping out there. If it is a meritorious project, it ought to go through on its own steam, and not be hitched on to something else. That is the main trouble with this bill—too many interests, too many people want to ride on it, until it became loaded up with a great many objectionable features.

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I have no information relative to proposed legislation about loans on securities. I saw by the press there was a bill pending in the House or the Senate. I don't know what it is or what the provisions of it are, or what the discussion about it has been.