As September passed without any sign of weakening either among the employers or the striking workmen, the situation became so grave that I felt I would have to try to do something.

The thing most feasible was to get both sides to agree to a Commission of Arbitration, with a promise to accept its findings; the miners to go to work as soon as the commission was appointed, at the old rate of wages.

To this proposition the miners, headed by John Mitchell, agreed, stipulating only that I should have the power to name the Commission.

The operators, however, positively refused.

They insisted that all that was necessary to do was for the State to keep order, using the militia as a police force; although both they and the miners asked me to intervene under the Inter-State Commerce Law, each side requesting that I proceed against the other, and both requests being impossible.
Finally, on October 3, the representatives of both the operators and the miners met before me, in pursuance of my request.