After the death of OKUBO, Hideji KAWASE, who was the head of the business promotion bureau and a subordinate of OKUBO, bemoaned the luxury and corruption within the Ministry, such as in the room of Hirofumi ITO, Secretary of Interior, where Tsugumichi SAIGO and Hiroshi NAKAI, influential persons, were talking about the night before while waitresses from traditional restaurants were going in and out.
内務省で勧商局長などを務めて大久保の部下であった河瀬秀治は、大久保の没後の内務省では、伊藤博文内務卿の部屋で西郷従道や中井弘が盛んに夕べの話をしたり、仲居が出入りするようになるなど、すべてが奢侈に流れ堕落したと嘆いている。