Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-04
COL. j. R. FELLOWS.
a DEFENCE OF HIS RecEN. e ncss
ANT-souTHERN UTTERANcto'
IN. p,ssrepce Between ssatss' Rights an'
state sovcreignty--rbe "tra''o
Jus. a Bit OF Pleasantly.
,sroc,,I t,,egran TO the Dispa'chI

- March s.-wben Colonei
yahnp Fellows YVES shown by your corIe"
49, ,a,,t :, trocta from leading southern
newspapers bitterly attacking ms W." "sa. 80
cord and his present views OF DelnooiA' ,o
uoI;cv on account Of the speech ne Inaue
- Wv, W.sbinoton's birthday dinner OF inc
n ~ Club in this city, Colonel Eel
,o,vs said he was much surprised at the
,,ov i, which his remarks were received.
Said he. "Those who were present attne
5;nnar couId understand the clrcum-
stSnces In tine course OF his speech Judge
Davis had expressed in the most positlvs
terrns the detestation in which ne held
what Is generally known as the States
rights doctrine.
HE DIFFERED.
rIat once alluded 60 the position Judge
Davis had taken on the State5'-rghtS doe
trine. and said that | too differed with
great many Democrats. but i said that
there was a profound difference, ~ un-
derstood il, between the doctrine or state
sovereignty, in which / firmly believed. ana
between the States'-rights doctrine. as tar
rs it held to include the right Of state TO
secede from the Union. 1t is the right OF
each State-a right which has never been
oeded to the Federal Union-to exercise
sovereignty over and make all laws ana
regulations controlling marriage ana
divorce, its judiciary system, its educa-
tional system, and its elective system.
WHAT DID YoU FIGHT FOB!
"When by States rights the rIghtto e1-
ercise these powers without dictation by
anv other power is meant, then | do firm
" believe IN States rights, but wnen
States rights is held to mean the right OF
o. 4 4 10 ,Af hnIfaWa
il. Besides, were the question a deoata0ie
one the arbtrament OF war has decided IL
in the negative"
When Colonel Fellows was told how
southern newspapers had reelected upon
his war record, and how Colonel Lille had
declared that when in command OF one
wing of the Confederate Army IN the lower
Mississippi Colonel Fellows had held
practically headquarters position. be ex-
pressed the indignation natural III brave
man when his courage Is attacked.
IT WASN'T TREASON, THEN, COLONEL FELLOWS.
In a perfectly calm voice he declared
that his war record spoke for itself, and
needed no justification or defence. In the
quarter of a century that has passed since
Il was made. said q friend who was pres
emit, Colonel Fellows's war record has Oeen
the subject of unbounded euloglum by his
late brethren in arms, and II Is now TOO
late for these ill-considered and utterly
baselcss attacks uoon him. :.
Besides. added Colonel Fellows himself,
now smiling, 1.-THE particular part OF the
speech which seems 20 have excited my as,,
sailants, as | learned from some pubhshed
reports of il, was in reality nothing more
than bit Of pleasantly on my part.
All, INDEED!
After having expressed my opinions on
State sovereignty and the right 10 secede,
and having mentioned the fact that the
southern people were by no means con-
scious of being in rebellion against the
Constitution or the country, but rather, II
ANYTHING, believed that the North and the
: rest Of the country was itself in rebellion
| against the Constitution, / jocularly oo-
served that my own views OF secession
and however earnestly had fought I'D the
southern cause-I myself could be held no
! less than traitorous, and smiling. ADDED
| that perhaps l owe my present health
| and prosperity 10 the clemency OF the VIC
tors who spared my life"
JUST BECAUSE IT WAS NOT TREASON.
Colonel Fellows then referred incident
| ally to the difficulty of determining Just
| what IS treason against the constitutional
| Government Of the United States, and
| spoke of the fact that James OConor and
! others of the ablCst lawyers of the United
! States at that time had advised the Coy
! eminent against trying Jefferson DGVls
! for treason ut Richmond, for the reason
| that il might possibly turn out that he
| had not been guilty OK treason.