The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-30
TWO PEACE PETITIONS
RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS APPEAL
TO PRESIDENT M'KINLEY.
They Ask Reduction of the Heavy
lions and Also for Arbitration.

WASHINGTON, Dec. ga delegation
presented to the President to-day two petit
tons, one from the great majority of the
organized Protestant Christian churches of
the world, and the other from the Pam
Presbyterian Alliance Both petitions had
been placed in charge of the Rev. DIR. Will
liam Henry Roberts, the American secretary
Of the Pan-Presbyterian Alliance, Snd with
him were Rev. Wallace Radcliffe and the
Rev. A. w. Pitzer, of Washington, d. c.,
Rev. w. w. Barr, of Philadelphia, Pa, and
the Rev. j. B. Drury, of New Brunswick,
n j. The first petition was signed by the
representatives Of 145 national and denomi-
national churches, existing all the six
continents, namely: The Church OF Eng
land, the Church of Scotland twenty-nine
other churches in Great Britain and Ire
land, the general of the Salvation Army,
two churches in Belgium, two in Switzer-
land, six in Holland twelve in Australia,
twenty-eight in the United States and sixty
four in other parts of the world. Baptsts,
Congregationalists, Lutherans, Methodists,
Presbyterians and Episcopalians unite in
their approval Of the petition 1t asks for
the reduction of the heavy ornaments MAIN
tanned by Christian nations, ready upon
provocation to go to war and settle their
disputations by bloodshed,' and also re-
quests the influence of the government of
the United States in favor of international
arbitration a substitute for war.
The second petition is from the Pam
Presbyterian Alliance, which also united in
the first petition, and which includes eighty
national and UNCONVENTIONAL churches
throughout the world. This second petition
asks for "a permanent and peaceful method
for the settlement of all controversies aris-
ing between the peoples of the British en-
pire and the Republic of the United States
of America"
The delegates, in presenting the petitions,
emphasized the fact that both originated
in the United States, the first, for universal
General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church South The delegates also stated
that they were not to be regarded as 1.-The
advocates of policy of peace at any price,
is sinful. They quoted the Westminster
Confession to the effect that civil magis-
trates may rightfully now, under the New
Testament, wage war upon just and neces-
sary occasions" The President was con-
graduated on the results of the rightful
war recently waged by the American people
in the cause of Justice and humanity, and
the divine blessing was invoked Upon him
as the man ordained of God in a great crisis
in human history to be the leader of this
people, and also to be instrumental through
both war and peace for the infringing Of
Christ's universal kingdom. The signers Of
these petitions represent more than eighty
millions of Christians in all parts of the
world, 100000 of whom are Presbyterians.
The President responded cordially to the
delegations, saying that he favored arbtra-
ton as between Great Britain and America.
He also said that he had responded promOt-
~ to the Cars proposal for disarmament,
but that under present circumstances. the
ornaments of the United States could not
be now lessened, but would in any event be
less than would satisfy European nations.