Editing Whiskey Rebellion (section)

==== Negotiations ====
In early August 1794, Washington dispatched three commissioners to the west, all of them Pennsylvanians: Attorney General [[William Bradford (Attorney General)|William Bradford]], Justice [[Jasper Yeates]] of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and Senator [[James Ross (Pennsylvania congressman)|James Ross]]. Beginning on August 21, the commissioners met with a committee of westerners that included Brackenridge and Gallatin. The government commissioners told the committee that it must unanimously agree to renounce violence and submit to U.S. laws and that a popular referendum must be held to determine if the local people supported the decision. Those who agreed to these terms would be given amnesty from further prosecution.<ref>{{harvnb |Slaughter |1986 |pp=199–200}}; {{harvnb |Hogeland |2006 |p=199}}</ref>

The committee was divided between radicals and moderates, and narrowly passed a resolution agreeing to submit to the government's terms. The popular referendum was held on September 11 and also produced mixed results. Some townships overwhelmingly supported submitting to U.S. law, but opposition to the government remained strong in areas where poor and landless people predominated.{{sfn |Slaughter |1986 |p=203}} On September 24, 1794, Washington received a recommendation from the commissioners that in their judgment, "(it was) ... necessary that the civil authority should be aided by a military force in order to secure a due execution of the laws..."<ref name="Wash1976">{{cite book|last1=Washington|first1=G.|last2=Jackson|first2=D.|last3=Twohig|first3=D.|year=1976|title=The diaries of George Washington|location=Charlottesville|publisher=University Press of Virginia|url=https://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/644873705?page=frame&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DkigTAQAAMAAJ%26checksum%3Dba5f03da41c8eb81c13f065ffff48b64&title=&linktype=digitalObject&detail=|access-date=June 30, 2018}}</ref> On September 25, Washington issued a proclamation summoning the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia militias into service and warned that anyone who aided the insurgents did so at their own peril.<ref name="Wash1976" />{{sfn |Hogeland |2006 |p=205–06}} The trend was towards submission, however, and westerners dispatched representatives William Findley and [[David Redick]] to meet with Washington and to halt the progress of the oncoming army. Washington and Hamilton declined, arguing that violence was likely to re-emerge if the army turned back.{{sfn |Slaughter |1986 |p=203}}