1 MARCH 1935, Page 18

THE DEATH PENALTY

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The article on the death penalty (February 8th) said that it is not compatible with modern civilization to demand that the State should adopt the primitive doctrine of an eye for an eye. But it also said, " If the act of killing is a violent outrage on the conscience of the community, it needs very cogent reasons indeed to justify the killing even of a convicted murderer by the public hangman." The point of this sentence seemed to me to be an implication that the State is in such cases just killing the killer. And I think that suggestion deeply,,misleading.

My bad writing made your printer read " corn " where I wrote " care." In a true community care or concern for the injurers must co-exist with, not alternate with concern