El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-08-26

- AWSON, Yukon Territory. Aug. IS.
The kaiser keeps good order in
- Germany. He has the largest sin
gle army on earth. and five or six mil
lion soldiers respond TO his call His
principality is in the neighbOrhood Of
200. 900 square miles. There is a man
here in Dawson who is military ruler Of
a country almost as large. 1t is a part
Of the Dominion OF canada, and is
known as the Territory Of the Yukon
1t begins at the south, within 80 miles
Of the Pacific ocean. and extends to
Herschei island. near where the Mac
kenzie river GOwS into me Arctic II
is d bout a thousand miles long and sew
eral hundred miles wide, and II has n
nomadic and settled population Of In
dams, Eskimos and white men,
Yukon "Army- Has 30 Men
The army that keeps this great tract
in order consists of less than 80 men,
and the record OF unpublished crime Is
proportionately less than that Of the
kaiser. It is known as the Yukon di-
vision Of the Royal Northwest mounted
police. and its commander is Sergt
Mai r. :. Knight, who only recently
has come here from Regina TO succeed
Mai. J. D. Noodle. retired. Mai Noodle
has had control OF the territory Tor
number Of years. I have met him dur
ing my stay, and have had long chat
with him as TO how Canada keeps such
good order in this frontier land of the
north.
The Royal Northwest Force.
But first let US give you general
Idea OF the Royal Northwest mounted
police My information comes from Col.
Frederick White, the commissioner OF
the territorial districts Of Canada and
the commander in chief Of the force
Col Whites headquarters are at OF
tawa, and ii was in his office there
some time ago that I met him and talk
IL
At that time il consisted of less than
1000 men Since the war broke out in
Europe the number has been increased
TO 1900. but the most of the increase
has gone 10 the southern parts Of the
Dominion. and the number in the W.
kon remains just about the same.
Still 1890 men is not many II seems
very few in comparison with the size
of the territory in which IL has TO keep
order It has under its jurisdiction a
district which is fully one half as large
as the main body Of the United States.
and the greater part OF that country is
wilderness It runs from the bOundar-
les Of the United States to the Arctic
ocean, and it has its stations about
Hudson bay, on the Peace river and
along the banks of the Mackenzie Its
wheat belt where Americans and others
are now taking up homesteads and
they gallop along the international /
boundary of our country and Canada. |
theivinE and settling all minor troubles |
that arise between the two peoples.
Watch Over Southern Canada.
The mounted police watch over the I
interests Of the farmers Of southern J
Canada. Every colOnist is visited and J
his complaints investigated. Each pc /
liceman has a route. along which he 4
rides from farm to farm and town TO !
town. asking whether anything wrong
has taken place since his last visit. (
He has TO send in a report from every
settler. and if misdemeanors are com !
mitted lie has to arrest and punish the /
offenders Where murders or other |
high crimes occur he takes the Grim /,
inals 10 court. and he often acts as de-
tective- keeping on the trail day and i
night until evidence is secured that /
brings the rObber to prison Or the muir 1
dered TO the gallows-
Make Trails to Far North
The mounted police have made many 2
the first road through the wilds TO the I
Yukon. ar the time OF the gold discov- {
cry. and they have opened up the Rocky /
mountains to prOspectOrs- In their eX- {
ploratiOns they sometimes erect houses /
along the trails ana leave supplies of 1
provisions for other travellers who may !
come after
They have a station on Hudson bay
which Is made IF houses shipped there
in pieces, and the police there give re-
ports on conditions prevailing about !
treated They have steam launches TO /
patrol the bay, and they 90 up the :
rivers in canoes and across the coun- /
try with sledges and dogs.
One Constable 500 Miles Up POrcupine. 1
Mai. Noodle tells me that the Yukon