The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-17
War OF Races I'm LOuisinna-'rhs
Bloody Affair at COlfax.


Bloody Affair at COifax.
The war of factions under which, for six
months, 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 war of races. The bloody affair
at the little hamlet of Colfax, in the parish of
Grant, near Alexandria, ON the Red River,
from the details which we published yester-
day, was clearly conflict, not between the
Kellogg faction and the Warmoth faction, but
between the whites and blacks-a conflict of
the two races, all other lines Of distinction
being merged in the distinction of color.
The quarrel grew out of the political compli-
cations of the State, but in this bloody affair
at Colfax it was, by the stupidity of the ne
groes, reduced to a question of the local
ascendancy of the whites or the blacks.
It appears that Grant parish or county was
recently formed out of part of the large
parish of Rapides on the Red River, above
Alexandria, and that, while the new parish or
county was named in honor of President
Grant, its county seat, small hamlet, was
named after the then Vice President, Colfax-
Grant and Colfax being thus associated with
the creation of the new parish. Next, it ap-
pears that, by accident, ignorance, neglect or
design somewhere the returns of the last
State election for this new parish were not
officially reported, and that, in the absence of
any official returns, both sets of the local
candidates concerned claimed to be elected:
that they both appealed at length
to Governor Kellogg at New Orleans
for decision, and that he advised
the contesting parties to settle the controversy
among themselves. The fusionists or anti
county Offices Both factions, disappointed
returned to New Orleans in anything but a
condition for compromise; and, to make
short work of the matter, some two weeks ago
a negro by the name of Ward, with band of
ignorant and credulous negro followers, took
armed possession of the Court House formerly
a sugar house), proceeded to throw up in
trenchments, and drove or frightened the
whites from the settlement and from all the
neighborhood within circle of twenty or
thirty miles from the military headquarters Of
Ward and his army Of invasion and occupation
at Colfax.
The resort to arms and war thus enforced
upon the whites was promptly adopted, and
their siege, storming and capture of the Court
House at Colfax, according to the details so
far received was ''short, sharp and decisive.
The hostile blacks, numbering, in the outset,
Cro,, for,r IN Hyo hupdroI ,vara Grs4 Ir;yo,,
into their citadel, and then, the Court House
being set on Gre, they in their efforts to
escape, were exposed to discharge of
musketry, from which eighty or hundred of
them were killed and many wounded. Their
ringleader, it appears escaped, and all the
surviving blacks of the locality, after this
terrible defeat, quickly disappeared
Now, the question arises, Where lies the re-
sponsibiliiy for this bloody and disgraceful
affair? The responsibility attaches first to
the national administration; next it falls
upon Congress, and next upon Governor
Kellogg. 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, how
ever, to say that he appealed to Congress at
the late session for q settlement Of this i'm
broglio, and that Congress, lacking the moral
courage to settle it, left the whole subject to
the discretion of the President, as the two
houses left the Mormon difficulty, and that
the President, adhering to the Kellogg govern
ment, as he had notified Congress he should
do if left to his own discretion. has made il de
fdcto the State government. We come, then, to
Governor Kellogg He advised a compromise of
this Cofax difficulty but it was his duty to
inform himself of the exact situation of affairs
| there, and to arrest Ward and his negro follow
ers 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 for the slaughter
of the negroes, it is punishment which they
stupidity brought upon themselves We hope
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, mean
time, should bring Governor Kellogg to q
strict account for his apparently criminal neg
ligence in this business.
The PROLONGED STRINGrScy IN MONEY has
at length overcome the long-defant strength
of the market at the Stock Exchange, just as
the Spring floods heap up and then sweep away
the resisting fields of river ice. The crash
came yesterday, being precipitated 10y the fail
IRE of prominent brokerage firm who had
been regarded AS among the soundcst in bust
ness. Fortupololy the damage 10 this respect