The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-11-21
NORTHWEST MOUNTED
POLICEMEN TAKE ALL
CHANCES IN PURSUIT
BY Frederic j. Haskin

- IA w A nc my al NdAi-
adian Mounted Police have a grudge
against the movies and the romantic
novel Both Of these fields OF art have
seen fit 10 seize on the Northwest
Mounted policemen as a dashing and
daring figure who rescues heroines
with one hand and shoots Indians with
the other. He is sort of combination
of Sir Galahad and Dead Eye Dick.
1t is not argued that the mounted
police aren't heroic. They undeniably
engage in some of the most thrilling
adventures left to a civilization that
is rapidly extracting most OF the
thrills out of life. But the fictionized !
versions of the mounted police are in |
general highly exaggerated and give |
Americans the lurid sort of ideas OF
Canada that English people used to /
have of a woolly and Indian-nfested !
United States.
The highly colored tales in which !
existence in the mounted police in /
cludes at least one thrill every day
are nothing more than the legitimate
penalty of fame. As the Royal North .
west Police the organization became
the most famous police force any
where. II will probably be some time
before people get used to the new
name which substitutes Canadian for
Northwest. The name was not
changed as a disguise TO escape pub
hcity The force was simply confined
with other Canadian forces operating
in other sections of the country. The
Royal force is at work in every part
of the Dominion and its duties are
considerably more than pursuing In
dams across the prairie at a mad gal (
lop.
For one thing, the mounted police |
assist customs and immigration Of
ficials in their efforts to catch boot I
leggers and drug dealers along the
border The smuggling OF liquor from
a very moist Quebec into the United
States is perpetual source of worry
to the Canadian Government.
A Decorative Guard
Others of the royal force guard The
public buildings at Ottawa. For this
particular duty, a member of the force
wears a striking and becoming cos
tune. A dark blue spiked helment
with glittering gold chin strap gives
him a military and British appearance.
His blue suit is decorated with a wide
yellow stripe down the trouser leg
and the formality of his position is
subtly suggested by the white gloves.
man in this snappy outfit welcomes
visitors inside the door of each gov
eminent building in the city.
The adventure of the mounted po-
lice are not so much among the Indians
as in Eskimo land. The organization
is pushing farther north and establish
ing outposts beyond the Arctic circle.
The men who patrol the frozen north
west have to be pioneers and advent
urers in a very real sense. They have
TO travel in dog trains over the end
less frozen miles of northern Canada,
and spend months or years in a single
quest.
Up there. the Eskimos are giving
Canada trouble These natives, like
the primitive Indians, have their own
customs, some of which are barbarous.
Murder in some tribes is not regarded
with aversion if it seems justifiable
4 man who becomes immoral they re-
gard as insane, and if he gives trouble
may be knitted or strangled with full
approval of the tribe.
Natives of some bands have long
had the practice of killing off their ba-
bies when the band is travelling and
food is scarce or when the mother does
rot consider il to the advantage of the
family to be burdened with an extra
member. Old people. too, were once
killed If economic circumstances SEEM
cd to the tribe to warrant it.
But now, many young children and
aged peoie are seen about the igloos
OF the Eskimos known to have mad
these customs.
The change is attributed, in a part
Al least TO the mounted police 1t
is one of the duties of patrol to ga
ther the people of a band together
and explain to them the white mans
Jaws and the penalties for breaking
them. This has been urgent business
since traders and explorers have
pushed farther into the arctic regions
Of Canada. Occasionally they bring
back word of a murder to the outposts
Of civilization Sometimes a white
nan is the victim. In any case when
he Canadian Government hears of
hese tragedies, it dispatches a patrol
If the mounted police orders to in
vesugate or to bring back the offend
~.
a realistic film of such an expedi-
ion would have to preface nearly
very other scene with six months lat.
IT. In one case the patrol which
ROSES Canada every two years
brought word of murder in the far
torth. A member of the mounted DO.
ice was sent out to get the guilty
eskimo. After travelling a year ano
half over ice and snow, through biz.
ards, with long stops when the wet
fl