Condemned LR.A. Bombers refused permission for an appeal to be made to The report that the Attorney-General has the House of Lords in the ecse of Peter Barnes fand James Richards, members of the Trish Republican Army, sentenced to death for a bomb outrage at Coventry in which innocent people lost their tives will be read with interest, for the condemned men having exhausted all' the processes of law must be hanged, unless the Executive side of the Government intervenes and reprieves them, Tt was reported some time ago that representations had been made by the Eire Government to Whitehall. suuyesting that the men should not pay the full penalty for their time, and the opinion is held in some quarters that it, would perhaps be unwise to exacerbate public feeling in southern Ireland by- insisting' upon the execution of the capital sentence. How weighty that political considera tion might be it is dim cult at this distance ta ascertain, but it has to be remembered that the IRA. has been declared an illegal institution even "in Hire itself, so that the two men in-Yolved are just as much offenders against the Inw of Eire as they have been proved to be against the law of Great Britain. There is always the risk. that insistance upon the full punishment might convey martyrdom in the eyes, of many misguided persons upon the two condemned men, though it is doubt{ul whether Imprisonment for life would avoid it. With Great Britain at war these. outrages by the IRA, calculated to disrupt the processes of the nation amount to nothing less than high reason, ander such should. be punished. The circumstances, however, do not present so clean an lisue as that, Obviously those favouring, the fe sentence have in their minds the possibility that in a general settlement of outstand= ing questions between Eire and Great Britain these men might receive an amnesty. Any such thing as that would do nothing but arouse that Important section 9¢ British' public opinion which strongly resents the activities of the IRA: and would like to see them sternly suppressed. The decision which the Home Secretary has to make in the circumstances is by no means on easy one, but If he follows the example of the Attorney-General, who refused when he could have given further concessions {0 the prisoners In the shape of a fat permitting them to go 10 the House of Lords, a most unusual thing now: days, and refuses to interfere with the sentence of the court, he will not be greatly criticized. Atter all the two condemned men do not oppear {0 have been over careful about the lives the people whom they killed by their criminal act, A Point Elucidated connection with the action of the Attorney. General In retusing to last a fat permitting {he two IRA. men under sentence of "death permitting them to carry" their appeal against {heir conviction to the House of Lords, it should be pointed out that. by Section 1—<6) of the Criminal Appeal Act, 1807, an appeal to That" House requires a "eertiieate of the Attorney-General that the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeal involves a point of fow of exceptional public importance." There was obviously no stich point involved in. this case and the Atlomney-General was precluded from giving the necessary certificate. By the time these lines appear the fate of Peter Barnes find James Richards will have been decided for they were due to be hanged yesterday morning. Ils reported that" the latest IRA. bombing Attempts have destroyed any. faint hope there light have been thatthe British Government Would make a show of clemency by Yep The. two men. It wax believed in. Land 'Tuesday that_whereax the personal intervention of Mr. Eamon de Valera. might. have proved effective, the R.A intimidatory attempts ould di nothing' but bring a forceful reply from the Britis Government. Quite obviously of the Government and the Tavs minister must at all imes be Vindleated, ud. any shows of weakness at xuch A juncture a this woud be the most serious blunders, "Tr there were ever @ case in which the death sentence. Want so Fiehly. merited it Snust surely be this. "For" the purpose of fur Thering! polities! nds. bombing Was resorted in which nocent. individuals. were Kile bombs were. planted Yegaraless of whether death to thers. war to vesull OF no}, and the crime ix consequenty: marked with eallouse fxs for which there. cane nothing, but. the completest loathing 'The execution of these men' will not restore their vielims 10 life it Is True, but there. is the possibility that, when A'RE Yeutied thatthe 'British Government "beans fo inlet the full penalties of the Law Moh miscreants, Ht may have a deterrent effect ripon them and' so save the lives of ethers. who Shiai fall victims to the misdeeds of the IRA. Shith Great Britain ut war, this internal danger swiped out ruthlessly, and no matier how well disposed the Government. might have Yeon "towards. proposals to"-reprieve the Condemned men, the challenge which the IRA, Se" again offered mast make it very dificult for the excentive to pursue the paths of merey.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.