The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-06-27

ment to Abandon Flan TO INCLUDE
Famous Body in Reorganization Of
Military Department and Place II
Under Control of Minister of MI
itia and Defense-Dutes of Force
Increased Since Amalgamation With
Dominion Police.
1t was with feeling of shock that
most Canadians read recently of
government proposal for further in
reference with the mounted police
force, which is still gratefully remem-
bered as the Northwest Mounted al
though since it's Jurisdiction was ex-
tended all over Canada it is now
known as the Royal Canadian Mount
ed Police, writes the Montreal CORE
spOndent of the New York Herald
The force has always been civilian
one, and the governments proposal to
include it in reorganization of the
military department and to place it
under the control of the minister of
militia and defense met with whole
hearted and almost universal opposi-
ton and condemnation.
| Criticism came from sources so
wide apart as the leader of the oppO-
sition and of the late government,
Hon. Arthur Meighen; Hon Mr.
Crerar, leader of the Progressives,
and the Rev. J. s. Wordsworth a la
Dor member from Winnipeg, who, as
one of the leaders of the Winnipeg
Soviet a few years ago, complained
of having been personally Swallowed
by the force which, he said, was doing
secret service work, and wanted its
activities curtailed Several Quebec
members also were of opinion that the
work Of the force should be limited
to the undeveloped and unorganized
territories of the far north where it's
most noteworthy services have been
rendered in recent years, and where
Its name is symbolical with justice.
Protest Military Control.
Qualification is widespread that the
government has yielded to the over
whelming protests and has decided to
omit the famous force from the opera
lions of the new act which is to CO.
ordinate the militia and naval and air
services under one head and thus do
away with many highly paid heads of
departments anu cllCCL q COASlUcI dUlc
economy
In the discussion which took place
in the house of commons relative to
the future of the Royal Mounted Po-
lice there appeared to be two cOnsid-
eratiOns each of some Importance.
The first of these had to do with the |
functions of the force, and the de- |
STABILITY of maintaining the service |
unimpaired, while the second turned |
upon the propriety of including the |
mounted police as one of a group of |
services in a new department of ma
tional defense.
No very convincing case was made |
out either for the curtailment of the |
strength and activities of the force or
for it's transfer to department of
what are essentially military services.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Po-
lice is an amalgamation of the Do
minion Police with the justly famed
Mounted" which has been for fifty
years the means of preserving the
peace and vindicating the law through
out the Canadian Northwest. The du-
ties now being performed by the force
include all those formerly discharged
by the two constituent bodies and
cover a wider and in some respects
different field from that formerly COW
cred by the Northwest Mounted Police
alone
Criticism was leveled at the force in
the course of the debate on the score
of its alleged conversion into a secret
service and upon the ground, as stated
by some members that it has been
employed to spy upon labor activities
and has intensified industrial discord
The need for what may be called
secret service cannot be measured by
what is known by the public as to the
nature and extent Of the work done
such service to be at all effective must
be secret. If the mounted police have
been employed in checking up the ac-
tivities of any class industrial or
it is reasonable TO assume
that such action was called for in the
public interest
Down "Red" Outbreak.
1t is well known and has been rec
ognized throughout the existence Of
the force that no organization, group
Or class in Canada, If It's aims and &C.
tivities are legitimate, has anything
to fear from the mounted police or
any other body engaged in the preser-
vation of law and order.
The service rendered by the
Mounted in connection with theI
red" outbreak in Winnipeg, when {
virtual Soviet was set up, was evil Z
1ence of the usefulness of the force ,
n this regard, and when ]. S. Wood
ward. one of the Soviet leaders, COM
blamed Of being Swallowed by mount {
ID policemen he did much to answer 7
lis own criticism. 1
There are good reasons for main :
aiming the mounted police force, but
purely as a civil, not as a military
'ody. Upon the occasions when 1t e
las gone to the assistance of munich =
'al authorities in the preservation of
rider it has done so always upon the I