St. Paul daily globe., 1895-05-13
NORTHERN RANGERS.
Mounted Police who Guard the
Canadian Frontier.

Mounted Police who Guard the
Canadian Frontier.
Fort Walla Walla Correspondence Of
Philadelphia Times.
One of the most picturesque and eX-
cellent bodies of irregular cavalry to
be found in North America Is the
Northwest mounted police of Canada.
Their duties have been various and
semi-military, like those performed on
the Texas border by the Texas rangers,
and have assisted greatly IN the set
tlement of the Northwest. Prior to
1874 that territory was lawless, but the
police quartered there that year soon
restored respect for the law, and
whisky trading with the Indians,
smuggling across the border and horse
stealing have been stopped.
The Canadian government passed
laws making it a crime to bring stolen
property into the territory of the
Northwest, and soon after the legisla-
ture of Montana reciprocated, thus
making our Northwestern frontier less
lawless than the Mexican border, where
contraband and stolen goods find a pro-
tect:ng haven. THE boundary line
from Manitoba to British Columbia is
constantly patrolled by this irregular
cavalry, and' their officers have been
frequently entertained at Assiniboine,
our most northern Montana post.
The Northwest police was organized
in 1873, for the maintenance of order
in the Northwest territories, which at
that time had been recently acquired
by Canada. In the autumn Of 1873,
15O men were enlisted in Eastern Can
ada and sent to Manitoba. From time
to time the original force was in
creased, and at the outbreak known as
the Northwest rebellion it was further
raised until it numbered 1000 men, or
about its present strength. The force
is subdivided into 10 divisions of about
100 men each. The pay of this force
is the highest of any military force in
the world. Staff sergeants, s1.50 per
day; sergeants, 81; corporals, IS cents.
The same grades in our service being
respective 81, 60 and 80 cents per
diem.
The uniform of the police is very
handsome. For full dress they wear
scarlet tunic with yellow facings.
blue cloth riding breeches with yellow
stripes, similar to our cavalry nom
commissioned officers; a white helmet,
cavalry boots and. cavalry overcoat.-
In winter fur. greatcoats, fur caps and
moccasins even are sometimes worn.
A fatigue uniform is furnished for field
work that is very serviceable and busi-
nesslike. Enlistments are from three
to five years. The officers headdress
is particularly handsome, being a Vi
sorless indented crown of black Per-
sian lambs wool, faced with yellow
busby bag on on one side; with 1t are
worn black Persian lambs wool gaunt-
lets to match. The force is armed
with the Winchester rifle and revolver.
The saddles are of a frontier type,
and the gun is slung in a strap
across the pommel of the saddle, as
men in the South frequently secure
their guns when deer hunting.
The duties of this force, like those of
our Texas rangers, are both military
and civil. They are drilled like a
military organization and liable, like
militia, to be called into service. Their
civil work is various. Preventing
smuggling, horse stealing, whisky
traffic with the Indians, enforcing
quarantine and timber regulations,
fighting forest fires and giving gen
eral civil protection to inhabitants of
the Northwest.