210 a short history of the united states
Wisconsin and Elk Hills in California, were transferred from the Navy
Department to the Interior Department and subsequently leased, with-
out competitive bidding, to private oil companies. The secretary of the
interior, Albert B. Fall, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in
bribes while the lease was still being negotiated. When an investiga-
tion revealed the extent of the fraud, Fall fled to Europe, but he was
caught, brought home, tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison. He
was the first cabinet officer in American history to be fined and impris-
oned for his crimes. Other members of the Harding administration
also went to the penitentiary. Some committed suicide rather than face
an investigation.
The nation’s isolationism and xenophobia manifested themselves very
distinctly in passage of the First Immigration Quota Act, on May 19 ,
1921 , limiting the number of immigrants to be admitted to the country.
Accordingly, the number of aliens of any nationality was not to exceed
three percent of the number of persons of that nationality listed in the
1910 census; also, the act set a limit of 357 , 803 immigrants per year.
Just as the scandals of his administration were about to burst into
public view, President Harding died suddenly of a heart attack on Au-
gust 2 , 1923. The Vice President, Calvin Coolidge, was immediately
sworn in, taking the oath at 2 : 47 on the morning of August 3. A deter-
mined conservative, he pressured Congress to amend the Immigration
Act so that certain nationalities that he deemed unworthy of entering
the United States would be discriminated against. As it turned out, he
had considerable vocal support in Congress. “I think this chamber
here,” pontificated Representative J. N. Tincher of Kansas, “is a place
where we ought to think, act and do real Americanism.” By permitting
more immigrants to enter this country, he argued, the day may come
when a member of the House will have to say “Mr. Speaker in Italian
or some other language.”
Responding to the President’s request, Congress agreed to another
immigration bill on May 26 , 1924 ; this one lowered the quota of each
nationality to be admitted to two percent, based on the 1890 census.
Furthermore, only 150 , 000 immigrants would be admitted each year,
and Japanese citizens were excluded altogether. But at least Native
Americans were finally granted citizenship. On June 2 , 1924 , the In-
dian Citizenship Act was passed, providing equality in American soci-