FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1916. THE MURDER OF CAPTAIN FRYATT.

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 839, 4 August 1916, Page 8

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1916. THE MURDER OF CAPTAIN FRYATT.

And the Law of Retaliation. GERMANY pursues, ■" without mercy her campaign of f rightfulness. The deliberate murder of the un r fortunate skipper of the Brussels is Germany's cynical,' cold-blooded retort to the wrath sind indignation of the British people over the equally infamous assassination of Nurse Cavell. That wrath and indignation have never been translated into action, namely, the infliction, of straight-out reprisals upon the enemy. For months past this journal has stood alone amongst the "Wellington press in advocating a policy of reprisals, both during and lifter the war. Now at last, this week, we are glad to see that two at least of our daily contemporaries have come into line with, us on this point, openly advocating that the personal punishment of the Kaiser by the death he has so well deserved should form ore of the conditions of peace. We congratulate our contemporaries upon their conversion from .an attitude of shuffling and timidity' upon this all-important question of reprisals. It is belated, but better late than never. * * # * We believe that the Government of this country would best express public opinion in this country by cabling a message to the Imperial Government to the effect that the people of New Zealand stand aghast at the foul murder of Captain Fryatt, and advocate the sending of an ultimatum to the German Government declaring that in future every- German naval captain, officer, seaman, or engineer captured by a British warship shall be shot on the spot should even one more well-substantiated case of an Englishman being murdered by the enemy be reported. The Chambers of Commerce throughout the country might very well do their bit to fortify Government in such action as ,we have suggested by passing resolutions urging the confiscation of every pound's worth of Teuton-owned property in the Dominion. Were, similar and simultaneous action taken by the Commonwealth Government and Canada, and this could surely be arranged by cable, it would be brought home even to the thick-headed Hun that murdering English men and women in cold blood is a gam© which does not pay.