The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-06-09
MARTIAL LAW FOR KloNOIKe.
England Preparing TO Thoroughly Garri-
son the Northwest.


son the Northwest.
In no part OF the world has the Klon-
dixie attracted more attention than in
England. The British intellect which
is dull and stocky at the best Of times,
has been stung into feeling Of hui
initiation at finding that while JAM
eson raid into the Transvaal was being
organized In London, the keen and ir-
repressible Yankee was discovering a
rich auriferous region either in close
proximity to or actually within the
Canadian DominionS of the Queen. To
have half dozen statesmen or great
dukes defeated, or perilously near to
frretrievable disgrace, at the hands
of Dom Paul, was simply awful Ill luck.
But to have John Bulls dear cousin
realize all the fruits Of discovery In
the Northwest was too tantalizing in
the extreme. Accordingly English
men have wonderfully b<stirred them
selves within the past six months and
having poured capital into various
mining properties in British Columb bia,
under a syndicate which has a royal
Duke for its President, they are now
engaged In trying to form one huge
trust Of all the mining claims in the
Klondike.
A great scheme of this kind needs
something more than money; and
therefore besides large subscriptions Of
capital there has been a quiet enroll
ment going on in England for what
is euphemistically termed "the North
West Mounted Police" Instead of
being what 1t pretends to be it is a
distinctly military organization. In
other words 1t is a most efficient form
of cavalry service under the rather de-
ceptive name Of police" This force
already numbers considerably over
1000 men and is organized under the
command Of an officer who discharges
somewhat analogous powers to those
invested In the military wing of the
Riyal Niger Company Of Africa. It
is drilled too as cavalry force, each
man carrying a Lee-Metford carbine
and In addition to the usual accoutre-
ments, heavy revolver. 1t is a bel
ligerent and militant force in the
highest sense rather than protective or
political.
Formerly the Canadian authorities
retained few scattering officers prop
erly termed Mounted Police in Mani
toba and the Assinaboine regions to
7reVent smuggling and to do the usual
routine duties Of an ordinary nature.
But the members were very different
in physique, equipment and efficiency
to those mounted dragons which the
British Government have lately sent
into that portion of the North West
bordering on the klondike. and since
the rush of Americans there in the
summer of 1897. Is the Transvdal fail
ure to be recouped in Alaska? In
speaking Of these Canadian Mounted
Police an English organ of the Army
and Navy interests states that "there
is hardly finer force in the world"
the meaning Of which phrase from
such a source is that these mounted
dragons are intended as a fighting
rather than as a police force on our
Northern boundary. or this fact tbera
can be no doubt whatever because in
further description we are told that
this British regiment is composed of
men nearly all six feet high, who can
ride and fight like any Of the red skin
heroes of Fenimore Cooper's romano.
es." Such is the character given Of
these men In standard organ of the
British Army. Obviously therefore
the word police" applied to them is
either a misnomer or a joke. They
would answer eXcellently in case of a
raid. But there is even a more inter-
esting kind of information about this
regiment and the work cut out for It,
furnished from Canada, where British
feeling Is more accurately, even If on
nressively, interpreted for the benefit
of Americans than is always possible
in the case of the mother country. An
American newspaper was recently SO
much sttracted by this dragoon mo-
Utilization on the part Of the Canadian
Government that it sent interrogation
tes on the subject amongst others to
the editor of the Mail and Empire" Of
Toronto. The Canadian Editor re-
plied that these were nearly all the
sons of well-to-do Englishmen spec
ially recruited for services in Canada,
that they were all splendid marksmen
and would not hesitate to shoot If there
was any trouble in the Klondike. I'm
til the Army and Navy Journal corrob-
GRATED in substance this information
there was belief that these border
editors were playfully exchanging car
tells; and that there was really no
significance to be attached to the SUBJ
stitution of these dragons for the old
Manitoba Mounted Police. But the
concentration of a force Of "heroes"
that can ride and fight; that would
not hesitate to shoot Americans and OF
whose splendid craftsmanship We are
assured, may be of interest to those
about to settle there. They have ap-
parently come to stay.
Canada appoints her own po-
Iice like any other self-goyerning