SIR,—Amidst all the arguments that have been advanced for and
against capital pun- ishment, the points that have been ignored by both 'Drips' and 'Drops' seem far more
important than all the fervid advocacy that this vexed question has inspired.
The first point is our sense of values. In 1914 my generation was faced with the great problem : what is life really worth? We de- cided that liberty and justice were worth more than life, staked our lives on that issue, and the cream of that generation paid the price in full. The same problem did not arise in 1939, as conscription was already in force; but had it done so, the second-war generation would doubtless have responded in the same way. We are now asked to shed tears for the judicial elimination of convicted murderers, and to applaud the survival of a dangerous lunatic who has already escaped and mur- dered yet another innocent little child.
The second point is our sense of proportion. We are asked to get excited about the judicial barbarism that kills off a dozen convicted murderers a year, whilst we pass the in- judicious barbarism that kills off fifteen innocent people every day on the roads. We pass this in uneasy silence because it is diffi- cult and we are not prepared to face the issues involved. It would be better for this diStracted world if we took off our blinkers and restored our sense of values and pro- portion.—Yours faithfully, A. R. CLOUGH Normans wood, Crowhurst A. R. CLOUGH Normans wood, Crowhurst
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