Senator Grimes's estimate of the Republican party in 1870--President Grant's methods of carrying on the Government--His attempt to annex Santo Domingo--Senate rejects the treaty of annexation--The President comes in conflict with Charles Sumner, who is displaced as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations--Trumbull sustains Sumner--Motley, Minister to Great Britain, is removed from office and Trumbull is asked to take his place--He declines the offer--First movement for civil service reform--Trumbull makes a speech at Chicago advocating it--Secretary Cox and Attorney-General Hoar cease to be members of Grant's Cabinet 341 CHAPTER XXIII THE LIBERAL REPUBLICANS The Liberal Republican movement begins in Missouri--Its leaders--Enfranchisement of the ex-Confederates, civil service reform, and revenue reform, the issues--Meeting of revenue reformers at New York, November 22, 1871--James G. Blaine, Speaker of the House, offers them a majority of the Committee of Ways and Means--The Missouri movement alarms the Republican leaders--They pass the Ku-Klux Bill for the employment of military force in the South--Trumbull and Schurz oppose the Ku-Klux bill--Trumbull pronounces it an unconstitutional measure--Schurz advocates the removal of all political disabilities--Congress passes an act of universal amnesty after the meeting of the Liberal Republican Convention 351 CHAPTER XXIV GRANT'S ADMINISTRATION General Grant's habits and training were not well adapted to civil and political duties--He was nominated for President on account of his military success--Rottenness in the New York Custom-House--Trumbull moves a general investigation of the waste of public money--The Senate decides in favor of a committee to investigate only matters specifically referred to it--The Leet and Stocking scandal--Colonel Leet found to be receiving $50,000 per year from the "General Order" business of the New York Custom-House--A Senate committee reports the facts to Secretary of the Treasury, Boutwell--The Secretary makes a new investigation and recommends that Collector Murphy discontinue the "General Order" system--Murphy allows it to continue indefinitely--A second Senate investigation ordered--The Leet and Stocking mystery explained--President Grant not a participant in the profits--The "General Order" system broken up--Indignation among Republicans resulting from the exposure 361 CHAPTER XXV THE CINCINNATI CONVENTION