Cameron and Alexander Cummings--Two million dollars placed in New York subject to Cummings's draft--The steamer Catiline chartered and laden by Cummings and Thurlow Weed--The House Committee on Government Contracts--Cummings's testimony--Congressman Dawes's exposure of horse contracts--An equine Golgotha around Washington City--The House censures Cameron--Lincoln removes him and appoints Stanton in his place--Cameron appointed Minister to Russia--Trumbull opposes confirmation--Cameron is confirmed, six Republican Senators voting in the negative 178 CHAPTER XII ARBITRARY ARRESTS Lincoln's first suspension of the writ of _habeas corpus_--Secretary Seward and John Hay give verbal instructions thereunder--Senate debate on arbitrary arrests--Wide differences of opinion as to legality thereof--Trumbull calls for information--Debate between Trumbull, Dixon, and Wilson--Was power to suspend the writ lodged in the executive or in the legislative department?--Chief Justice Taney held that the writ had not been lawfully suspended anywhere--Trumbull demands trial by jury, without delay, of civilians arrested in loyal states--Before Congress takes action the election of 1862 results in victory for Democrats--Republican leaders intimidated--Stanton discharges all civilian prisoners--Congress passes Trumbull's bill authorizing President to suspend writ, but requiring trial in civil courts and discharge of persons not indicted--Bill to indemnify the President for previous acts passed by both houses--Banishment of Vallandigham and suppression of the Chicago _Times_--Trumbull opposes the latter 190 CHAPTER XIII INCIDENTS OF THE YEARS 1863 AND 1864 The movement in the Senate for the retirement of Secretary Seward--Letters from Gustave Koerner, Alfred Iverson, and Walter B. Scates--The appointment of M. W. Delahay as judge of the U.S. District Court of Kansas--His subsequent impeachment and resignation--Letters of General John M. Palmer, Colonel Fred Hecker, and Jesse K. Dubois--Trumbull doubts the expediency of Lincoln's second nomination--He thinks that there is a lack of efficiency in the prosecution of the war--This opinion shared by Henry Wilson and by Congressmen generally in the beginning of 1864--The people, however, were for Lincoln's renomination--The Cleveland Convention, and nomination of General Frémont--Simultaneous retirement of Frémont and Postmaster-General Blair 210 CHAPTER XIV THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION