Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-30
Erie Medical Co., Buffalo, MY.
FOR DlSARM AMENT.
IMPORTANT PETITIONS PRESENT
ED TO THE PRESIDENT.
ARBITRATION
Peace at Anye Price Not the Idea
War. Ii is Acknowledged, May
and Necessary Occasions.

! WASHINGTON, December PA dele
| cation presented TO the President to-day
| two petitions-one from a great majority
Of the organized Protestant Christian
churches Of the world, and the other from
the Pan-Presbyterian Alliance. Both pc
ttions had been placed in charge Of the
! Rev. DR.. William Henry Roberts the
| American secretary OF the Pan-Presby-
! terrain Alliance, and with him were the
| Rev. Wallace Radcliffe and Rev. w. A.
! Pitzer, Of Washington, ID. c.; Rev. w. w.
| Barr, of Philadelphia, and Rev. j. j.
| Drury, d. D., Of New Brunswick, y. J.
| The first petition was signed by the rep
! resentat.ves OF 1i5 national denomina tional
churches. existing in all the six CONT
nents-viz, me Church Of England, the
Church Of Scotland. Gtwenty-one other
churches I'm Great Britain and Ireland,
the general % the Salvation Army, two
churches in Belgium, two I'm Switzerland,
six in Holland, twelve in Austria, twenty
eight in the United States. and sixty-four
in other parts Of the world.
CongregatiOnalists, Baptists, Luthe-
rams. Methodsts. Presbyterlans, and Epis-
copalians unite in their approval Of Inc
petition.
REDUCTION OF ARMAAIENTS.
1t asks for the reduction of the heavy
ornaments maintained by Christian ma
tons "ready upon proyocatiol to 70
to war and settle their disputes by blood
she'd" and also requests the influence Of
the Government Of the United states in
favor Of international arbitration IS q
substitute for war.
The second petition is from the Pan
aV;., fDt, oil r.1
in the first petition, and VII irclude3
eighty national and denomlnatonal
churches throughout the world.
This second petition asks for a perma-
nent and peaceful method for the settle
ment Of all controversies arising between
the people Of the British empire and the
United States Of America.
The delegation, in presenting the petit
tons, emphasized the fact that both
originated in the United States. the first
for universal disarmament in the year
1890, with the General Assembly Of the
Presbyterian Church, South.
NOT FOR PEACE AT ANY PRICE"
The delegation also stated that they
were not to be regarded as tho advocates
of a policy of peace at any price, or as
maintaining the opinion that war is sin
full" They. quoted the Westminster Con-
trates may rightfully, now, under the
New Testament, wage war, upon just and
necessary occasions" The President was
congratulated upon the results Of the
rightful war recently waged by the Ameri-
can 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 Christs
Universal Kingdom.
The signers OF the petitions represent
more than eighty millions Of Christians |
in all parts Of the world, twenty-five mil |
lions of whom are Presbyteriaus.
PRESIDENT CORDIAL.
The President responded cordially TO the |
delegation, saying that he favored arbi- |
tration as between Great Britain and |
America. He also said that he had re-
sponded promptly 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.