The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-07-07
PARTIES FOR
LEGISLATORS
ARE Barred
Lafayette Utilities Chief
Tells of Spending $500
in 1927 Session.
FOUGHT AGAINST BILLS
Lobbyist Airs Procedure to
Influence Indiana
Lawmakers.
FOUGHT AGAINST BILLS
BIZ United Press


WASHINGTON, July Frank o.
Cuppey Of Lafayette, Ind, spent
$500 during the 1927 Indiana Legis-
lature season, or about $50 day,
entertaining members of the. Legis-
lature and others, he told the Fed
eral Trade Commission late yester-
day at its inquiry into activities OF
public utilities.
1.-THE entertainment" Cuppey said,
twas limited to breakfasts, lunch
cons, dinners and theater parties,
possibly with some taxicab rides
thrown in. was entertaining some
of the men four times a day."
The work was done while he was
acting as a legislative agent OF the
Indiana committee for public util-
ity, he said, and was to guard
against the passage of bills unwant-
ed by the utilities, especially a bill
abolishing the public service COM
mission.
Mostly Expenses
Cuppey first testified that $4,000
had been paid him as salary and
$500 for expenses. He thought he
had spent some of the salary money
for expenses, he said, but when
Healy asked him if his income tax
return would show what proportion
went to him personally, he testified
that, practically all had gone to
expense.
"You worked for nothing" asked
Healy.
The witness said that he virtually
did, but that he was drawing his
salary as secretary of the Indiana
Telephone Association, and as man
ager of the Lafayette Telephone
Company, while in Indianapolis.
He had done legislative work in
the 1925 session for the telephone
association as we'll as the State
utility committee in 1925, he said.
His expenses we're about $1,600
Made No Payments
He added members of the COM
nlittee living in Indianapolis met
every week to discuss the work of
the Legislature with him, and those
living outside came in every two
weeks. He kept no statement of the
way the money was spent in 1927, he
said, but denied paying any directly
to any members of the Legislature,
paying any bills for them, or bring
ing in witnesses to testify at legis-
lative committee hearings. Neither
did he pay expenses of any utility
men coming to the city, he said.
did you make any return to the
Government in your income tax
statement Of the money you re-
ceived for your services? asked
Healy
II don't remember"
IF you did, you must have known
how much you retained"
1.-The fact is" "cuppey answered" !"
most if not all Of the $500 went for
expenses"
Entertained Often
Can you tell us how many times
you entertained the members of the
1Iegislature?"
mo, sir, 1 was entertaining some
four times day, all the telephone
men knew me and seemed to expect
me to entertain them when they
came to town. Some members of
the Legislature was in the parties I
entertained"
Commissioner Mccullough, in
charge of the investigation asked
what Cuppey's legislative duties
were. He explained that they we're
principally to watch adverse bills
and to get acquainted with the sit
uation with regard to them.
Il didn't appear before any COM
rnittees in 1927, although I did at
two sessions before that. Sometimes
I would talk in hotel lobbies to
members and others as an educa-
tional proposition as one business
man to another. Our public is
prejudiced against utilities and I
tried to remove that prejudice"
'You thought, with the Legisla-
ture in session that was a good place
to begin?" interjected Mccullough.
When Cuppey said ne wasn't in
terested in bill allowing cities to
establish their own plants and didn't
remember such a bill, Healy said,
perhaps you're not just clear what
Mellett said about that" and re-
called the witness to read Mellett's
testimony. Then Cuppey recalled
such bill