13 MAY 1916, Page 2

No doubt , the wise nuan in the coolness of his

study will say that no one, even .though apparently caught red-handed, should be summarily executed. Ths wise man is of course absolutely right in the abstract, and every true military commander will do his best to enforce the iuleof inquiry before execution. Whether he will always be able to achieve his wishes when the fierce passions engendered by .a revolt are set -going is another matter. The General sent by Abraham Lincoln to put down the Draft riots in New York did not succeed, though no doubt ho did his best. It must not be forgotten that the troops .engaged in putting down the Irish rebellion were often half, maddened by the thought that their leaders and com- rades had been shot down in cold blood as they walked or drove back to a city which they believed to be as peaceful as London.