The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-05-01

THE WAR OF RACES IN LOUISIANA =
A PLAIN STATEMEN OF THE DIPFI-
Guilty. q
From the New York Herald
The war of factions. under which
Louisiana has been suffering all the
perils, if not all the evils, of anarchy,
has at last taken that most dangerous
shape to the blacks, of a war of races.
The bloody affIir at the little hamlet
OF Colfax, in the parish of Grant, on
the Red River, was clearly conflict,
not between the Kellogg and War
! mouth factions, but between the whites
and blacks-the conflict of the two
races, all other lines of distinction be-
/ ing merged in the distinction of color.
The quarrel grew out of the political
complications of the State, but i'll this
| bloody affair at Colfax it was. by the
stupidity of the negroes, reduced to
| a question of the local ascendency of
the whites or the blacks.
1t appears that Grant parish or coun-
/ ty was recently formed out of part
of the large parish of Rapides on the
Red River, and that, while the new
parish or county was named in honor
OF President Grant, it's county seat, a
small hamlet. was named after the
then Vice President, Colfax-GranJ
and Colfax being thus associated with
the creation of the new parish. Next
it appears that, by accident, ignorance,
neglect or design somewhere, the re-
turns of the last State election for this
new parish wei e not officially reported
and that in the absence of any official
returns, both sets of the local eandi-
dates concerned claimed to be elected :;
that they both appealed at length to
Governor Kellogg at New Orleans,
for decision, and that he advise d the
contesting parties to settle the contro-
versy among themselves. Both fac
tions, s,disappointed,r returned fromNew.
Orleans in anything but condition
for compromise land, to make short
work of the matter, some two weeks
ago, a negro named Ward, with band
of ignorant and credulous negro toll
lowers, took armed possession of the
Court House formerly sugar house)
proceeded to throw up intrenchments,
and drove or frightened the whites
from the settlement and from all the
neishborhood within circle of twen-
ty or thirty miles from the military
headquarters of Ward and his army
of occupation and invasion at Colfax.
The resort to arms andwar thus
enforced upon the whites was prompt
ly adopted, and their siege, storming
and capture of the Court House at
Colfax, accordingito the details thus
far received, was "short. sharp and
decisive" The hostile blacks, num-
bering at the outset from tour to five
hundred. were first driven into their
citadel, and then in their efforts to es-
cape, were exposed TO a discharge of
musketry, from which eighty or
hundred of them were killed and
many wounded. Their ringleaders,
| it appeares, escaped, and all the sur
Viving blacks of the locality, after this
terrible defeat, quickly disappeared.
Now, the question arises, where
lies the responsibility Tor this bloody
and disgracefui affair? The response
| bility attaches first to the national ad-
ministration !; next it falls upon Con-
gress, and Bext upon Governor Kel-
logg. The mistaken policy of General
| Grant in behalf of peace in Louisiana
has been productive only of mischief,
confusion and disorder. 1t is but
| Justice to him, however. to say that
he appealed to Congress at the late
session for the settlement of this em-
dHl tudt
moral courage to settle it, lett the
whole subject to the discretion of the
President, as the Mormon difficulty,
and the President, adhering to the
| Kellogg government, as he notified
Congress he should do, if LETT to his
own discretion, has made it de fdct0,
the State government. We come, then,
to Governor Kellogg. He advised q
compromise of this ColfaX difficulty
! but it was his duty to inform himself
! of the exact situation of affairs there,
and to arrest Ward and his negro fol-
| lowers, before or Immediately after
their advance upon the town For
failing in this duty he should be called
to account. He is evidently unequal
to his position. AS to the slaughter
of the negroes, it is punishment
which their stupidity brought upon
themselves. We hope that the lesson
throughout the South, will do them
good, in teaching them the folly of
appealing to arms for the redress OF
fancied wrongs or the vindication of
imaginary political rights. They
ought to know that a war of races
means the determination of the black
race, and that in every appeal to arms
| they are sure to be severely punished.
President Grant, meantime, should
bring Governor Kellogg to strict ac-
count for his apparently criminal neg
| ligence in this business.
ONE of party of friends, referring