Defenders of Property Rights

Defenders of Property Rights was, according to its website, "founded in 1991 to counterbalance the governmental threat to private property as a result of a broad range of regulations. We believe that society can achieve important social objectives such as protection of our environment and preservation of our national heritage without destroying private property rights or undermining free market principles." 

History
In August 1995, DPR's Policy Advisory, Ian MacKenzie, wrote to the Senior Vice-President of Corporate Affairs for Philip Morris, Craig Fuller, with a pitch for funding. As far as MacKenzie was concerned, the issue of combating regulations regulating smoking needed to be re-defined as intruding on a constitutional right - "the right to own and use property".

While praising the company's voluntary program on youth smoking - "Action against access" - MacKenzie warned it was insufficient "to placate the anti-smoking movement" and the general public may consider that not enough was being done by the industry to educate the young. "If so, this could result in a demand for more active measures, confronting the company with having to work openly against its own market interests, and forcing it to unilaterally give ground on a constitutional right - the right to own and use property," he warned.

DPR, of course, had a solution - funding a program that included promoting "the principles of freedom, tolerance and Accommodation". "It is not as widely understood as it should be," Mackenzie wrote, "that property which lies at our constitutional liberties, is more than land or buildings. It is also intangibles: art, ideas, services - in sum the fruits of our labors".

MacKenzie proposed a three pronged strategy including taking "the moral high ground by making property rights the issue", extending the company's youth smoking campaign to advise against smoking "but extol the principles of individual freedom, personal responsibility and decision making", and seeking to involve both retailers and the advertising industry.

While MacKenzie didn't offer a price tag for the groups services, but made clear it was keen to assist. "We have the specifics on how to bring all theses elements together and build a national communications campaign … As a 501 (c) (3) legal defense foundation and national property rights leader, our objective is to protect property rights from the regulatory state and, in part, do this by raising awareness of how property rights are being adversely affected by government regulation of the marketplace," he wrote.

A fortnight later, MacKenzie was following the pitch up with Francis Gomez, the Director of Public Programs for Corporate Affairs with Philip Morris.

Defenders of Property Rights did receive money from the tobacco industry:
 * Philip Morris
 * 1994: $7,500
 * 1995: $30,000
 * 1996: ??
 * 1997: $45,000
 * 1998: $20,000
 * 1999: $20,000 (budgeted)

Some other documents describing 'Defenders' pro-tobacco activities:

Board of Directors

 * Harry C. Alford, President & CEO National Black Chamber of Commerce
 * Becky Norton Dunlop,(hon.) VP for External Relations The Heritage Foundation
 * Timothy N. Hyde, Founding Partner DCI Group, LLC
 * Charles W. Jarvis, Chief Executive United Seniors Association
 * Stephen G. Kieffer, CEO Kieffer & Co., Inc.
 * Tex Lezar, Clements, O'Neill, Pierce, Nickens and Wilson L.L.P. (died January 5, 2004 )
 * J. B. Love, Managing Partner Estancias Argentinas, LLC
 * Nancie G. Marzulla, President Defenders of Property Rights
 * Roger J. Marzulla, (hon.) Chairman Marzulla & Marzulla
 * Vicki A. O'Meara, (hon.)Executive VP and General Counsel Ryder System, Inc.
 * David A. Waronker, President CBD Development Group, Inc.

Board of Advisers

 * Robert Bork, American Enterprise Institute
 * Lamar Smith, US House of Representatives
 * Senator Larry E. Craig
 * T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr, Intercollegiate Studies Institute
 * John J. Curry, Jr., Foran, Nasharr & O'Toole Ltd.
 * Orrin G. Hatch
 * Professor Jonathan R. Macey, Cornell Law School
 * Edwin Meese, The Heritage Foundation
 * Richard W. Pombo
 * Eric M. Rubin, Rubin, Winston, Diercks, Harris and Cooke
 * Mark Killian, Director of Revenue, State of Arizona

Contact information
Defenders of Property Rights 1350 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 410 Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone 202.822.6770 Fax 202.822.6774