Few workers believed that the strike had represented a “conspiracy” by the ARU. Rather, it had become painfully clear that if a conspiracy existed, it was among the railroads and various branches of government, which combined powers to force the strikers to their knees. Many workers, having believed in the neutrality of the government in conflicts between labor and capital, were disillusioned. They saw that the money and organization of the employers far outweighed democratic principle in the actions of Attorney General Olney, who authorized the conspiracy arrests and trials, and President Grover Cleveland, who ordered federal troops to aid the railroads.