Law And Order
Due to a quick response by the Canadian Government and the formation of the RCMP, the Klondike area maintained its order and peace. By 1897, 96 members of the North West Mounted Police were sent to the Klondike area and by 1898 the amount of constables had increased to 288, an expensive investment by the Canadian government. There were no murders and only few major thefts, in all, only an estimate of 150 arrests were made in the Klondike for serious offenses in 1898. Of these arrests, over half were for prostitution and resulted from an attempt by the NWMP to regulate the sex industry in Dawson. The blue laws were especially strictly enforced, saloons and other establishments were closed by midnight on Saturday, and no business transactions were allowed on Sundays. The NWMP were generally regarded to have been an efficient force during the time period, with their tasks aided by the geography of the Klondike, making it relatively easy to bar entry to undesirables or prevent suspects from leaving the region. In comparison to the NWMP, the early civil authorities were criticized by the prospectors for being incompetent and potentially corrupt. One such corrupt individual was Thomas Fawcett, the gold commissioner and temporary head of the Klondike administration, he was accused of keeping the details of new claims and allow carelessness go unpunished. Campaigns by prospectors, backed by the local press, eventually led to Fawcett being relieved of his occupation. His successor, Major James Walsh, was considered a stronger character and arrived in May 1898 but fell ill and returned east in July. It was left to his replacement, William Ogilvie Conduct reforms. The Commission, in lack of evidence, cleared Fawcett of all charges and leaving him unpunished. Ogilvie proved a much stronger administrator and revised many of the mining surveys carelessly conducted by his predecessor.