Price Of Terrorism

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21574, 9 February 1940, Page 6

Price Of Terrorism

IT is unfortunate that two Irish Republican Army * terrorists should have had to be executed in England at the present time, but the British Government seems to have had no alternative but to let the law take its course. The men, in the commission of an illegal act, caused the deaths of innocent people at Coventry, and it cannot be suggested in condonation of the crime that they were entitled to special consideration because they held themselves to be at war with an eriemy. The statement of the Dublin Reprieve Committee says: “England rejected the pleas for mercy and has shown that she cares nothing for the goodwill of Ireland.” Surely the reply to such a statement is that it is a curious manifestation of goodwill on the part of Irishmen to plant bombs in England to the peril of English property and life. The Eire Government itself has adopted strong measures against the Irish Republican Army, and if the tragedy of Coventry had taken place on Irish soil it is improbable that the criminals would even have had the benefit of trial by jury. They would have been dealt with by court martial and appeal from the verdict would not have been possible. Barnes and Richards were at liberty to use every legal process to save themselves. That they failed is a clear indication of their guilt, and once guilt was established the penalty followed as a matter of course.