The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-03-27
Northwest Mounted Police Loses
Identity as Civilization
Lessons Its Need.
BODY HAS STIRRING HISTORY
Ranged Far Into Arctic Wastes to Pun
Ish Crime, Maintain Order and Ex-
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 anj order in
territory as vast as the United States
west of the Mississippi. From Hud-
son bay to the Rockies, from the Inter-
natiOE-l Uoun'-ry to and beyond the
arctic 1'rcle ley carried security to
the lr-abiding and terror to the law
breaking. On tn vast prairies, in
mountains and forest, through the ice
bOu-d reaches Of the arctic coast they
made 1.-The long patrol" protecting the
settler, succoring the weak and ad-
ministering justice with a 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 e found the Indian
of the sun dance and scalp knife. the
-excitable Metis (the French half-breed
of the plains), and the outlaw who
sought this mo mans land" to escape
just'-e and continue in CRIME. II, In
dian and Metis are now peaceful farm
ers, the ranch has been replaced by
the farm, and railways now cover the
country rs thin'- as the Indian trails
- nnI tn 40 f0r north
is any of the original work Of the po-
lice lift. Here in the Great Barrens,
along he desolate shores of Hudson
bay and the Arc" ocean, through the
Rockies to lawson will "the scarlet
and gol'" do the long patrol. The IA
mous corps has done it's work and has
lost its identity in the new national
force. The uniform has been pre-
served: re romance and esprit dc
corps have gone.
Origin 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 If
Canada acquired possession. The great
company had been a guardian to the
warlike Blackfeet, Assiniboines and
Cree Indians ar kept in 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 land"
with the great company without au-
thority and the dominion government
withe t my machinery to enforce It's
edicts.
It was dangerous period. The Unit
cd States government was seeking to
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 debauch-
.erv of the Indian. 1t was at this pc
road that the Royal Northwest Mount
cd Police came into existence, and
since then have been the most potent
influence In preserving order In this
vast territory. Three companies were
,nohilized at Winnipeg, or, as 1t WIS
tben known, "Fort Garry" Three other
companies came through the United
States and Joined them. and in oil oOo
men restored and preserved order IN
/. territory as large as Europe. without
. railway and peopled with nearly
1n0 0Oo Indians rent with tribal wars
and embittered against the whites oy
the depletion Of the buffalo herds, the
.Imost sole source Of their existence.
r wos then that the famous scarlet
.na gold" unifor,.: was adopted. To
80 r dian the ''red" coat symbolized
the newer OF athe great white mother.
"a coIonel Robertson-Ross organizer
Of the force, suggested this uniform 10
his report :.
sDuring my inspection In the north
rest I ascertained that some pre,u0ce