In British territory all this style of barter was of course unlawful.
The giving, selling, or trading of any sort of intoxicant to the Indians
was absolutely prohibited. But it was a land of vast and mighty spaces,
and everywhere were hiding places where armies could be safely disposed,
and therefore there was small chance for the enforcement of the laws of
the Dominion. There was little risk to the whiskey runners; and, indeed,
however great the risk, the immense profits of their trade would have
made them willing to take it.
Hence all through the Western plains the whiskey runners had their way
to the degradation and demoralization of the unhappy natives and to
the rapid decimation of their numbers. Horse thieves, too, and cattle
"rustlers" operating on both sides of "the line" added to the general
confusion and lawlessness that prevailed and rendered the lives and
property of the few pioneer settlers insecure.
It was to deal with this situation that the Dominion Government
organised and despatched the North West Mounted Police to Western
Canada. Immediately upon the advent of this famous corps matters began
to improve. The open ravages of the whiskey runners ceased and these
daring outlaws were forced to carry on their fiendish business by
midnight marches and through the secret trails and coulees of the
foothills.
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