The Indianapolis journal., 1903-03-28
HOTEL LOBBY GLEANINGS
c. N. GREENLEE, OF ELwOOD, AS A
LEGISLATIVE LOBBYIST.
the Basket-knOtts Loyal to Ham,
mOnd-LObby Gossip.

c. NJ. Greenlee, well-known Elwood at
torney who has been in the city this week
to attend the spring convocation of the
Scottish Rite, was one of the most active
members of the third house during the
recent session of the Legislature. although
he did his work so quietly that not over
dozen members knew that he had any in
terest in any of the pending legislation and
he was given no publicity through the
newspapers. Mr.. Greenlee was on the
ground frequently early in the session. and
he was here continually during the last six
weeks. That his work was effective is
shown by the fact that the interests he
represented were opposed to sixteen bills.
while they favored two, and every bill they
were against was killed in committee or
defeated on the floor of the House or Sem
ate and the two they favored became laws.
Mr.. Greenlee looked after the interests of
the American Tin Plate Company and the
United States Steel and Wire Nail Com
pany, two of the largest corporations that
have investments in Indiana He has been
the Indiana attorney for the tin-plate peo-
pie for several years, but it was only re-
Gently that he became identified with the
other corporation.
1t will be news to many of the members
of the Legislature that there were sixteen
bills that the corporate interests were fight
ing, for so adroitly did Mr.. Greenlee do his
work that several of these measures were
killed without any one realizing the
source of the opposition. Unlike other lob
byists who were so conspicuous during the
session, Mr.. Greenlee avoided the limelight.
He did not occupy seat beside the pre-
siding officers of the two branches, nor os-
tentatiously mingle with the representa-
tives and senators on the floor. He stayed
close to his hotel for the most part and
was not in the House more than three or
four times during the session. He visited
the Senate more frequently, but when he
did so he managed to avoid attention.
The two measures that Mr.. Greenlee IA
vored were both House bills. One provided
for an amendment to the incorporation
laws so as to enable the Incorporation Of
hot water heating companies, and the other
legalized the pumping of natural gas In the
State. Both were passed with practically
no opposition, although there was the SEM
blance of fight made on the gas-pumping
bill.
OF the bills that Mr.. Greenlee opposed six
were House measures and ten originated in
the Senate. They ranged from the Askren
bill, providing that in civil cases three
fourths of a jury might return verdict
to the attorney generals antitrust DILL
Three or four of the bills amended the laws
concerning procedure in civil cases, and
one provided for liens for attorneys fees
alton or lands the surface of which was
owned by one party, while the coal under
meath them was owned by another.
Another bill which Mr.. Greenlee was
especially interested in defeating was the
one which made 1t Illegal for foreign cor
porations to deal in coal lands in this State
until they incorporate under the laws Of
Indiana. The United States Steel Company
has but recently acquired LOO acres or coal
land In Sullivan county, which III IS prepar-
ing to operate to secure fuel for the several
plants which ii maintains in the gas belt,
and If the bill had become law the COM
pany would have been virtually defeated in
its plans TO secure fuel In this State. This
bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen
ator Johnston. of Montgomery, and it was
defeated Feb. q.
Mr.. Greenlee was also one of the active
opponents of the bill making the auditor OF
state the official tax ferret for Indiana and
giving that official 20 per cent. OF all delin-
quent and sequestered taxes which he was
able to place on the tax duplicates of the
various counties. In recalling his work In
the third house last evening at the Eng
lish Mr.. Greenlee denounced this bill as
one of the most vicious measures that came
before the Legislature.
"That bill placed entirely too much power
in the hands of one man." he said. 1.-The audi
tor might never have misused that power,
and have the highest regard for the pres
ent incumbent of that Office, but do not
believe 1t right to give any one man such
power anu SUBJECT tO SuCu ltilpld-
tions For instance, armed with the au-
thority given him under that bill the audi
tor could go to any one of the large cor
porations of the State and say Here. you
have been paying taxes but $500, 900,
while your property is worth two or three
times that much. 1 am going to see that
you are charged with sequestered taxes on
$500 900 for the past ten years.
'sIn the face of such a proposition. and
knowing the power vested in the auditor by
the law, what could or what would the
corporation do? Wouldn't IL prefer to pay
the auditor 80 per cent. of the amount of
the sequestered taxes rather than pay the
whole amount to the State, of which the
auditor would get % per cent? That illus
tration shows the blackmailing power that
would have been given one official under
that bill, and ii shows clearly the vicious
ness of the measure. 1 do not know that
any one had the slightest Interior purpose
in supporting the bill; in fact, / am forced
| to the contrary conclusion, for there was
| no attempt to hold up the interests that
| opposed the bill, so far as / am aware"
Mr. Greenlee expressed the opinion that
| there was little or no corruption during the
session, and he said that this was surpris-
| ing I'm view of the fact that there were SC
many bills introduced that the corporate
interests of the State would have spent
| large sums to defeat If it had been neces-
| sary.