The Pulaskian., 1920-03-05
Northwest Mounted Police Loses
Identity as Civilization
Lessons Its Need.
BODY HAS STIRRING HISTORY
Ranged Far Into Arctic Wastes to Pun
lsh Crime, Maintain Order and Elk
tend ReIief-Won the Conf
dence of the Indian.


Ottawa.-That famous corps, the
Royal Northwest Mounted Police, has
ceased to exist. 1t is now merged
with the Canadian mounted police.
For half a century ''the scarlet and
gold' of the riders of the plains had
been the symbol of law AM order In
territory as vast as the United States
west of the Mississippi. From Hud-
son bay TO the Rockies, from the Inter
national ooun ry to and beyond the
arctic c.rcle ley carried security to
the s--atlding and terrier to the law
breaking. On tn vast prairies, in
mountains and forest, through the ice
boU@d reaches OF The arctic coast they
made THE long patrol" protecting the
settler, succoring the weak and adj
ministaring justice with relentless
hand to white and red, to British and
alien.
The march of civilization has
brought into It's vast territory pros
porous settlers, where the Royal North
west Mounted Pol. re found the Indian
of the sun dance and scalp knife. the
excitable Afetis (the French half-brecl
Of the nlains). and the outlaw who
sought this no mans iand' to escape
JUS -e and continue in crime. IT, In
dian and Metis are now peaceful farm
erS, the ranch has been replaced by
the farm, and railways row cover the
country rs thio'- as the Indian tra 6
of the seventies. Only in the far north
IS any OF the original work of the POI
lice lift. Here in the Great Barrens,
along lie desolate shores Of HUDSON
bay and the Arc ocean, through the
Rockies TO 'Nawson will 1.-THE scarlet
and golf" do the long patrol. The fe-
nous corps has done its work and has
lost its identity In the new national
force. The uniform has been pre-
served; re rom ice and esprit dc
corps have gone.
ori-in of the Corps.
For nearly two centuries the Hud-
son Bay company had ruled that vast
territory between :dson bay and the
Rockies. when in 1870 the Dominion Of
Canada acquired possession. The great
company had been a guardian to the
warlike Biackfeet, Assiniboines and
Cree Indians an kept ia a fashion law
and order. The hardy Scotch factors
had in many Instances married into
the tribes and their influence was pow
erful and firm. Then came the change
in control. 1t became mo mans l:.nd'
with the great company without au-
thority and the dominion government
witho t any machinery to enforce its
edicts.
1t was dangerous period. The Unit
ed States government was seeking 10
curb the fierce Sioux. They, in turn,
were making overtures to the Cana
dian Indians to join them. The whisky
runner was unchecked in his debaucI-
cry of the Indian. 1t was at this pc
road that the Royal Northwest Mount
ed Police came into existence, and
since then have Leen the most potent
influence in preserving order in this
vast territory. Three companies were
modified at Winnipeg. or, as it was
lilcn hliONit, EOll 1lHcG OifitG
companies came through the United
States and joined them. and in all 500
men restored and preserved order In
territory as large as Europe, without
a railway and peopled with nearly
100000 Indians rent With tribal wars
and embittered against the whites by
the depletion of the buffalo herds. the
almosr solo source of their existence
1t was then that the famous ''scarle,
a.ld gold" unifor: was adoptei. r.
the Il 1ian the red" cont symbolized
the power of "the great white mother, ;
and Colonel Robertson-Ros organizer
of the force, suggested this uniform in
his report.
During my inspection In the north
west ascertained that some prejudice