But these same Mounted Police were not asleep. They never hunted after
publicity for themselves. They never thought of the grandstand. It would
have been often more spectacular to have allowed things to come out into
the open and then fight them in a dramatic way. But the preventive power
was what they preferred to exercise. It brought them less advertisement
and public notice, but it was best for the country and that was the main
thing with the scarlet and gold men.

So Superintendent A. E. Snyder, who was in command at White Horse, where
the principal leaders of the plot had, unfortunately for themselves,
located, discovered the half-hatched conspiracy. A knock-about kind of
fellow who had a wholesome fear of the police gave Snyder a hint about
some meetings in a stable loft. Snyder got his men to search the stables
and they discovered some incriminating literature as well as the White
Horse seal of the "republic," which latter Snyder still has in his
possession. Then he wired to Superintendent Primrose at Dawson and to
Comptroller Fred Whyte in Ottawa, at the same time dispatching Inspector
Horrigan to Skagway to put the matter before the American officials.
This energetic type of action frightened the conspirators. They
scattered to the four winds and most of them rushed out of the country.
It was "good riddance of bad rubbish" and the Canadian authorities
decided to let it drop at that point. But the incident, which hardly
anyone outside the police officers above mentioned knew anything about
till some years had passed, is another proof of the statement that the
Mounted Police have headed off more crime without killing than any other
body of men in the world.

In his report for 1908 Commissioner Perry quotes with justifiable pride
from a judgment given in an extradition case by Mr. Justice Hunt of the
United States Federal Court. Counsel for one Johnson who was fighting
extradition put up the plea that Johnson would not get a fair trial in
Canada and the Judge answers that plea very squarely in his
pronouncement. He felt that a strong case had been made out against
Johnson, and he practically ridiculed the suggestion that Johnson would
not get fair play north of the line. The Judge said in part, "The fact
that the officer (Mounted Police) who made the arrest of this defendant
promptly notified him that whatever he said would be used against him,
is a powerful bit of testimony, tending to show the care with which