Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-30
Delegation Representing $4,000,
600 Christians Visit President.
ASK FOR REDUCED ARMAMENT
Mckinley Replies That Under PrcscnMCir-
cumstances !Armalnents of United
States Cannot BE Lcssenctl. Arbi-
tration Substitute for War.
(By Telegraph.(

(By Telegraph.)
WASHINGTON. Dec 29.-A delega-
ton presented to the President today
two petitions, one from the great ma
jcrity 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-Presbyterian alliance,and With MIN
the Rev. Wallace Radcliffe and Rev.
w. A. 5Pitzer, of Washington; Rev. w.
W. Barr, of Philadelphia and Rev. J. 3.
Drury, D. D., OF New Brunswick, N. ].
The first petition was signed by the
representatives of las national deno1ni-
national church existing in all the six
continents viz: the Church of England
the Church of Scotland, twenty-one 9th
er churches in Great Britain and Ire
land; the general of the Salvation Army
the churches in Belgium, two in Switz-
erland, six in Holland, twelve in Aus
tralia, twenty-eight in the United
States and siXty-fOur in other parts of
the world. ongregationalists, 4Baptists,
Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians
and Episcopalians unite in their approx
al Of the petition.
SEEK PEACE METHODS.
1t asks for the reduction of the heavy
ornaments made by native Christians,
''all ready, on provocation, to go to war
and settle their disputations by blood
she'd and also requests that the infu-
! ence of the government OF the United
States IN favor Of International arbitra-
ton as a substitute for war.
| The second petition is from the Pan
| Presbyterian alliance, which also uni
! ted in the first petition and which in
cludes eighty national and denomina-
fS5tional 4nhurehes--sla Iou ghnut tile- M:nIId
This second petition asks for a tperma-
nent and peaceful method for the settle
nent of all controversies arising be-
tween the people of the British empire
and the republic of the United States
of America
The delegation, in presenting the petit
tons, emphasized the facS that iAoth
originated in the United States, the
first for universal disarmament, in the
year 1890, with the general assembly of
the Presbyterian church, South. The
delegation also stated that they We're
not to be regarded as 'the advocates of
a policy of peace at any price" or with
maintaining the opinion that all war is
sinful.
CONGRATULATED M'KINLEY.
They quoted the Westminster con-
fession to the effect that Civil magis-
trates may rightfully now, under the
New Testament, wage war upon the
church on necessary occasions"
The President was congratulated 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 instrument
tai, through both war and peace, for
the infringing of Christ's universal
kingdom.
The signers of these petitions repre-
sent more than S0,o0o,0OO of Christians
in all parts Of the world, %, 900 of
whom are Presbyterans.
The President responded cordially to
the delegation, saying that he favored
arbitration as between Great Britain
and America. He also said that he had
responded promptly to the Cars pro-
posal for disarmament, but that under
present circumstances the ar1naments
Of the United States could not be less
ened, but would, in any event, be less
than would satisfy. European nations.