Teapot Dome’s Impact on American Politics

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in 1924.

Coolidge knew that conservation was important and needed to be implemented as policy once again. By joining the conservationists side this allowed Coolidge to distance himself from the disgraceful Harding administration, mainly Fall. In addition, it brought a re-vitalization of the conservation movement. As written by Burl Noggle in, Teapot Dome: Oil and Politics in the 1920s, “During the remainder of his term, Coolidge elaborated an oil conservation program...With every elaboration, the shadow of Albert Fall on the naval oil reserves grew more and more dim.” This elaboration on the oil programs, on behalf of Coolidge, brought conservation back into the picture. This conservation movement was carried throughout

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Coolidge’s entire presidency, as he did not want to be related to the Harding administration. The final blow to anti-conservationists came in 1927. As stated by Noggle,

“Finally, on March 17, 1927, Coolidge tried to erase another blot in the Republican record: he revoked Harding’s executive order that had transferred the oil reserves to the Interior Department. On August 1, 1927, the Secretary of the Navy formally took over the reserves from the Secretary of Interior.”

Although Coolidge was not directly involved with Teapot Dome, he was the one who brought a re-vitalization to conservation. Without the scandal of Teapot Dome the exploitation of resources under Fall might have had the possibility to continue. Yes, Teapot Dome did bring a

brief end to the conservation movement, but it also brought a mass re-vitalization of the conservation movement. A movement that remains important in American politics to this day.

The election of 1924 can be seen as one of accusations and attacks. Both parties fought against each other claiming the other as a corrupt party that should not be in power. This election was different from recent elections as it involved three parties instead of two, the Republicans, Democrats, and Progressives. Palmer states, “The threat to the president’s re-election came not only from Democrats but from Republican progressives...Through Teapot Dome, LaFollette, Johnson, George Norris...and other progressives saw an opportunity to weaken the conservative grip on the Republican Party.” The Republicans supported Calvin Coolidge as he took over when Harding died in 1923. The Democrats supported John W. Davis, and thought that they were on the path to winning the election. As written by Bates,

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“Nothing so big as Teapot Dome had occurred before, and Democrats believed in the Spring of 1924 that they could win the presidency with this issue...When the Democrats attacked, charging flagrant corruption, the Republicans counterattacked. Republicans also cleaned house sufficiently to protect themselves. The Democratic failure is partly explained by the origins of Teapot Dome.”

Bates shows here that the Democrats continued to attack the Republicans by saying to the American public that they were corrupt individuals and no longer should be in power. As noted by Bates, “The Democrats were making corruption the leading issue in the campaign.” The Progressives supported Robert La Follette. La Follette told the American people to take a stand and to move away from the old corrupt parties and join the progressive movement. As written in Time magazine and stated by Robert La Follette,

“In this campaign, within the corrupt and decadent old parties...It has taken years of betrayal and a long line of shameful abuses on the Democratic and Republican Parties to convince the people that they must organize for political action outside both old parties in order to find relief from intolerable political and economic conditions.”

This statement from La Follette shows that he was attacking both parties just as much as the Republicans and Democrats. Similarly to Bates, Noggle is able to show how the Democratic campaign was flooded with attacks on corruption against the Republicans. Noggle writes, “Teapot Dome was significant, either by its prominence or by its absence, in the platform of the parties. The Democratic platform, not surprisingly, teemed with references to Fall’s dishonor

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and to Republican mismanagement of the nation’s resources.” These attacks made by the Democrats instilled a sense of victory within them. They believed that they would come out victorious, and there was no way that the American public would vote into power a corrupt government. McCartney states, “The Democrats, however, believed it wouldn’t be easy for Coolidge to distance himself from the scandal...his position is not improved by the circumstance that he sat in the cabinet when the deal was considered and approved.” Coolidge was able to fend off the many attacks thrown his way by pushing himself away from the scandal and showing to the public just how honest he was.

Once Coolidge had taken over for Harding, he was plagued with scandals that could have resulted in a loss in the election. As noted by McCartney,

“One of the more pressing challenges was the upcoming Teapot investigation, which was scheduled to commence in October 1923. As the new Republican president, he hoped to minimize its impact on his party and his own chances of winning the presidency in 1924.”

In this quote, McCartney shows that Coolidge knew that the scandal would be brought up and have an impact on the results of the election. Coolidge knew that the best way to win re-election would be to disassociate himself with the people involved with the scandal. To put the plan of disassociation into affect Coolidge began to hold those accountable, Fall and Denby, for the

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scandal by first making them resign, than forcing them to go to trial. This plan forced upon Coolidge, by the scandal, helped him in showing the public who he was. The plan showed that he did not want corrupt politicians in his Cabinet. In addition, it showed the American public that he was not a corrupt individual. Bates notes in, The Teapot Dome and the Election of 1924, that

“For the Republicans leadership of the type Calvin Coolidge afforded was fortunate. The mere fact that he was not personally responsible for the scandals but rather had inherited them from the deceased Harding