The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-05-17
.SPELLACY TURNS DO WIN OFFER OF. HARTFORD MAYOR. Decides His Position as United States Attorney Is Most
 Important WeRk. MAKES SACRIFICE
 FOR PATRIOTISM Offered Corporation Counsel ship at $5,OOO a Year But
 Declines Offer.
(Special to The Tirnes.)

Hartford, May 17-UntVersal com mendation is heard here over the patriotic stand of United States At torney Thomas J. Spellacy who has turned down the offer of Mayor Rich ard J. Kinsella to become corpora tion counsel of Hartford
 MT. Spellacy as United States at torney for Connecticut receives but $2,500 per year and the duties require all of his time. The corporation counselship of Hartford pays $5,OOO a year, and it would be possible for MT. Suellacy to fill both positions as there 1s nothing in the law which could operate to stop him.
 His view of the situation, however, is that this is no time for men hold ing public office who can be of ser vice to the government to think of the profit there may be in a job.
 Below is a copy of the letter which MT. SpeHacy sent to Mayor Kinsella following the latter's offer of the po- sition. It's perusal will show the reader that the author had an oppor- CQu1Iy LC 6GIN0 III L1C 4NdI4O4IdA dL14AS as a commissioned officer but at the request of Attorney General Thomas W. Gregory stuck to his post.
 The appended letter of MT. Spel1acy to Mayor KinselIa is self-explanatory:
 Honorable Richard J. Kinsella,
 Mayor of Hartford.
 My Dear MT. Kinsella:
 Replying to your favor of May
 g. may I not expgess my grateful
 appreciation of the high comph-
 ment which you have paid me?
 Your proffer of the office of Cor
 poration Counsel furnishes me an
 opportunity for public service,
 which in ordinary times, I could
 not we'll decline. My personal
 preferences moreover, would in
 cline me to accept, if for no other reason than the pleasure it would
 be to assist you in the admins tratfon of the city of Hartford It is therefore with a feeling of genuine regret that I am unable to accept. The time is not prop itious for the consulting of pri- vate pred1lections. Our country is at war, and until the war is won, it is incumbent on us all to fill the niche wherein we best can serve our country. While it is true there is no law or regulation that would preclude me from holding both the offices of Corporation Counsel and United States Attorney, I do not feel, in justice to the demands of my present position, that I should accept any appointment that would in any slight measure make inroads upon my time, the whole of which noY devote to the United States. T%haFe prac- tical1y abandoned my private law practice so that my Federal du- ties might receive my undivided attention It was my personal de- sire to enter the service of the United States army. I applied r for a commission in the Judge Advocate Generals Officers Re l serve Corps and was tendered an | appointment as major. consult ed with the Attorney General in
 regard to accepting this appoint
 ment and under date of July 2, 1917, he wrote me as follows: '~The Department appreciates | your patriotic impulse to enter
 the military service, and while
 it is not the purpose of the De-
 partnaent to interfere with anyone
 who desires to serve in the army
 it feels that. under the circum-
 stances, you could be of more
 service at this time as District
 Attorney than in the Judge Ad-
 vocate Generals Officers Reserve Corps, and therefore expresses the desire for you to remain at your present post"
 | have written to you in detail the reasons which actuate my
 declination. have done so be- cause I feel that you should be
 fully apprised of all the facts, so
 as not to misund my mi
 tive fully appreciate your gen.
 erous offer would like to accept
 the appointment. I am declining only because I feel it my impera- tive duty.
 Cordially and sincerely yours, THOMAS J. SPELLACY,