as a receiver until such time as the Commission might make its report, and until I, as President, might issue further orders in view of this report.  I had to find a man who possessed the necessary good sense, judgment, and nerve to act in such event.  He was ready to hand in the person of Major-General Schofield.  I sent for him, telling him that if I had to make use of him it would be because the crisis was only less serious than that of the Civil War, that the action taken would be practically a war measure, and that if I sent him he must act in a purely military capacity under me as commander-in-chief, paying no heed to any authority, judicial or otherwise, except mine.  He was a fine fellow—­a most respectable-looking old boy, with side whiskers and a black skull-cap, without any of the outward aspect of the conventional military dictator; but in both nerve and judgment he was all right, and he answered quietly that if I gave the order he would take possession of the mines, and would guarantee to open them and to run them without permitting any interference either by the owners or the strikers or anybody else, so long as I told him to stay.  I then saw Senator Quay, who, like every other responsible man in high position, was greatly wrought up over the condition of things.  I told him that he need be under no alarm as to the problem not being solved, that I was going to make another effort to get the operators and miners to come together, but that I would solve the problem in any event and get coal; that, however, I did not wish to tell him anything of the details of my intention, but merely to have him arrange that whenever I gave the word the Governor of Pennsylvania should request me to intervene; that when this was done I would be responsible for all that followed, and would guarantee that the coal famine would end forthwith.  The Senator made no inquiry or comment, and merely told me that he in his turn would guarantee that the Governor would request my intervention the minute I asked that the request be made.

These negotiations were concluded with the utmost secrecy, General Schofield being the only man who knew exactly what my plan was, and Senator Quay, two members of my Cabinet, and ex-President Cleveland and the other men whom I proposed to put on the Commission, the only other men who knew that I had a plan.  As I have above outlined, my efforts to bring about an agreement between the operators and miners were finally successful.  I was glad not to have to take possession of the mines on my own initiative by means of General Schofield and the regulars.  I was all ready to act, and would have done so without the slightest hesitation or a moment’s delay if the negotiations had fallen through.  And my action would have been entirely effective.  But it is never well to take drastic action if the result can be achieved with equal efficiency in less drastic fashion; and, although this was a minor consideration, I was personally saved a good deal of future trouble