Also, as for the position of Minister of Communication which was vacant due to the transfer of Takeaki ENOMOTO to the Minister of Education after the former Minister of Education, Arinori MORI, was assassinated, KURODA appointed Shojiro GOTO, former advocate of the Great Merger Movement, in order to water down the movement and prevent the democratic-rights parties from getting together.
また文部大臣の森有礼の暗殺後、榎本武揚が文部大臣に移動して空席となった逓信大臣には、大同団結運動の主唱者であった後藤象二郎を充てて、同運動を骨抜きにすることで自由民権諸派の団結を阻止した。