The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-30
PETITIONS ASK FOR PEACE.
CHRISTIANS WANT DIsARM AMEN1
AND ARBITR ALTON.

Committee Representing 100000
Church Members, Places Two Doe
uments Before the Presidcnt-He
Assured Them Be Favored Arbi-
trntiOn between Great Britain and
Amcrica-Amcrican Army VIII lie
Smaller.
Washington, Dec "a delegation pre-
sented to the President to-day two petit
tions, one from the great majority OF the
organized Protestant Christian churches
of the world, and the other from the
Pan Presbyterian Alliance.
Both petitions had been placed in charge
of the Rev DR. William Henry Roberts,
the American secretary of the Pan-Pres-
byterian Alliance and with him were the
Rev. Wallace Radcliffe, and Rev w. A.
Pitzer of Washington, D. G.; Rev. w. w.
Barr of Philadelphia, and Rev ]. b. Dru-
ry, d. D., of New Brunswick, N. J.
The first petition was signed by the
representatives of one hundred and forty
five national denominational churches, ex-
isting In all the six continents, viz. the
Church of England, the Church of Scot
land, twenty-one other churches in Great
Britain and Ireland, the general of the
Salvation army, two churches in Belgium,
two in Switzerland, six in Holland twelve
in Australia, twenty-eight in the United
States and sixty-four in other parts of
the world.
Want to Reduce Large Armies.
Congregauonalists, Baptists, Lutherans,
Methodists, Presbyterians and Episcopal
ians unite in their approval of the petition.
1t asks for the reduction of the heavy
armaments maintained by Christian ma
tions, ready upon provocation TO go to
war and settle their disputations by blood
she'd" and also requests the influence of
the government Of the United States in
favor of International arbitration as a
substitute for war.
The second petition Is from the Pan
Presbyterian Alliance which also united
in the first petition, and which includes
eighty national and denominational
churches throughout the world. This sec
ond petition asks for "a permanent and
peaceful method for the settlement of all
controversies arising between the people
of the British empire and the republic of
the United States of America"
The delegations in presenting the petit
tons, emphasized the fact that both ori-
ginated in the United States, the first, for
universal disarmament, in the year 1890
with the general assembly of the Presby-
terian Church, South.
The delegation also stated that they
were not to be regarded as "the advocates
of pilicy of peace at any price" or with
maintaining the opinion that all war 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-
essary occasions"
Congratulated on the Late War.
The President was congratulated upon
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 ordai1ed 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 bring
ing of Christs universal kingdom
The signers of these petitions represent
more than SO, 900 of Christians in all
parts of the world, 100000 of whom are
Presbyterians.
The President responded cordially to the
delegation, saying that he favored arb-
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.