The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-03-12
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 Elk
tend Relief-Won the Cont
dence of the indian.

OttaWa.-That famous corps. the
Royal Northwest Mounted Police, has
ceased 10 exist. IL is now merged
with the Canadian mounted police.
For half Il century 'the scarlet and
gold OF the riders of the plains had
been the symbol OF law am orGcr II
a territory as vast as the United States
west Of the Mississippi. From Elua-
son bay 10 the Rockies, from the Inter
natioE ! uOun| ry to and beyond tn
arctic |'"clc i-.cy carried security to
The il; -G&lding and terror TO the law
breaking, On tn vast prairleS, in
mOunta;nS and forest, through Tie ice
5nE q F2aches of the arctic coast they
made "tho long patrol" protecting the
settler. succoring the weak and ;d-
ninisterins justice with Il relentless
hand 20 white and red. to British ana
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 ndian
Va ~ sun udllIC anu SCuID kliIlb, lic
eXcitable Metis (the French half-breed
of the plains), and the outlaw who
sought this mo mans land to escape
JUS g ant continue in CRIME. TT : IN
dian and Metis are now peaceful farm
ers, the ranch has been replaced by
the farm, and railways now cover the
country rs thic'- as the Indian tra',s
of the seventies. Only in the far nortl,
is any of he 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 1.-The scarlet
and gOl'' do the long patrol. The fa-
nous corps has done its work and has
lost ats identity in the new national
force. The uniform has been pre-
served; ie rom nee and esprit dc
corps have gone.
Origin of the Corps.
For nearly two centuries the Hud-
o 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 Il guardian to the
warlike Blackfeet, ASsinibOines ana
Cree Indians an kept in Il fashion law
M order The hardy Scotch factors
had in many instances married into
the tribes and their influence was DOW
erful and firm. Then came the change
in control. 1t became mo mans land"
with the great company without au-
thOrity n the dominion government
with6 t any machinery - enforce it's
edicts.
1t was a dangerous period. The Unit
ed States government WAS seeking TO
curb the fierce Sioux. They, in turn,
were making overtures to the Cana
dian lnG.ans to join them. The whisky
runner was unchecked In his debauch-
cry of the Indian. 1t was at this pc
road that the Royal Northwest Mount
ed Police came into existence, and
since hen have been the most potent
influence in preserving order In this
vast territory. Three companies were
modified at Winnipeg, or. as 1t was
then known, Fort Garry" Three other
companies came through the United
States and joined them. and in all 500
men restored and preserved order in
a 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
almost sole ource of their existence.
II was the that the lannon's sscco riot
and gold' uniforL was adopted. To
the II dian the 'red" coat symbolized
the power Of "the great white mother.
and Colonel Robertson-Ross organizer
of the force, suggested this uniform in
his report.