Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-29
OPPOSE PLAN TO
Rename POLICE
IN NORTHWEST
Canadian People View With
Tragedy Merger of R. N.
W. M. P. With Domin-
ian Affairs.

Regina, Sask., Dec. 28.-The peo-
pie of western Canada view as a
tragedy the official dropping of the
rame of the royal northwestern
mounted police-a name that is in
terwoven with the history Of the
Canadian west as a. synonym of
honor, courage and service and
crowned with the thrilling traditions
of one of the greatest BODY of con-
stabulary in the world. BY order of
Parliament the famous Scarlet Rid
ers of the Plains" have been merged
with dominion police under the title
of "the Royal canadian Mounted Po-
lice" Sic transit gloria!
With human nature the same yes
terday, today and forever, why was
the settlement of the Canadion west
unattended by the law1essness that
marked the frontier in the United
States? The answer is-the R. N.
w. NJ. P.
Why were there no counterparts
in western Canada and Abilene,
Dodge City, Hays City, Tombstone,
Deadwood and the other classic
type towns of the American frontier
whose early history was written
with six-shooter dipped in whisky
and blood? The R. N. W. M. P.
No Bad Men.
Why had western Canada no bad
men and killers like Wild Bill
Hickok, Wyatt carp, Doc Holiday.
Billy the Kid, Luke Short and the
other heroes of border romance
south of the line? Why had it no
bandits and train robbers like the
James boys, the Youngers and the
Daltons? The R. N. w. NJ P.
When the Union Pacific pushed
across the American prairies they
killed a man every morning before
breakfast in the construction camps.
There were enough men murdered
to serve as mile posts from Omaha
10 Ogden. Why were there no such
violence and riot when the Canadian
Pacific laid its steel highway across
the continent farther north? The
r. N. w. M. P.
Organized in 1873, the royal
northwest mounted police carried
law into the west when the plains
were covered with buffaloes and In
dians, before the Canadian Pacific
railway began bringing settlers to
the pralries. From the Great Lakes
to the Rockies and from the inter-
rational boundary to the Arctic
ocean, they enforced the law and
made the settlement and develop
ment of western Canada cue long,
peaceful progress.
Served in Ranks,
For four years the royal north
west mounted police held in check
Sitting Bull and his Sioux warriors
who had sought sanctuary on Cana
dian soil after the Custer massacre
On the Little Big Horn. They did
their part in saving western civili-
cation in the Riel rebellion. They
failed to get overseas as a unit in
the recent world conflict, but the
famous Hell-for-Leather Fort Gar
,ys who charged into the blue at
Cambria, the Strathcona Horse, the
loyal Canadian dragons and the
Canadian mounted rifles were filled
with rankers who had worn the red
tunic of the old corps.
The royal northwest mounted po-
lice have not been empire builders,
but they smoothed the road for. en-
pire and kept it smooth. Western
Canada is western Canada today
iargely because OF them. Though
the old name under which they won
zane and glory is now numbered
with forgotten yesterdays, it will
live forever in the history of the
Canadian west as symbol of eff
cheney, loyalty, heroism and law
fearlessly enforced.