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.
