every 500 square miles. It was highly
important that with half the population foreign born, alien to our laws,
unacquainted with our institutions and disposed to bring with them a
sort of a hatred of authority born of experience under old-world
despotisms, there should be present the educative and restraining
influence of an adequate number of the riders in scarlet and gold.
Without that influence the newly-found liberty of these European
immigrants would soon degenerate into licence. Those of us who recall
those critical formative days agree with the statement that the
constables took a large view of their duties and that their tact and
discretion led these strange people not only to obey the laws but to
look upon the Police as friends willing to aid and assist them in every
way.

The Commissioner therefore strongly urged not only the maintenance of a
sufficiently large force to meet the situation, but pressed for the
adoption of his particular policy to have a reserve of at least fifty
men always in training at headquarters who would be qualified for
detachment duty whenever occasion arose. He gives adequate reason for
this policy when he says, "The men on detached duty are in responsible
positions; they have to act on their own initiative, often on matters of
considerable public concern; their advice is sought by new settlers. To
carry out their important duties satisfactorily they must be well
trained, have experience, and be of good character. It is therefore
unwise, contrary to the interests of the public and the good reputation
of the force, to send on detached duty men who have not the proper
qualifications, necessary experience, and who have not yet established a
reputation for reliability and sobriety; in other words who have not
been tested and proved."

There was an old song, written perhaps in the days of the Peninsular
War, to attract men to sign up for service in the possible hope that
some one of them might be instrumental in putting the tyrant out of
commission:

"A raw recruit
Might chance to shoot
Great General Buonaparte."

But the Mounted Police Force was not built on those lines. Their
business was to keep avoidable shooting off the programme altogether
either by themselves or others, and to effect that desirable end they
must be self-controlled, disciplined and tactful men. In order to be of
that type every man must get thorough groundwork training in the depot
division before