Mr. FESSENDEN. I do not wish to ask anything unreasonable of the Senate; and if they choose to adjourn now or at any other time in the afternoon or evening they have the perfect power to do so. I claim nothing about it. The honorable Senfrom Illinois will recollect, however, that on one or 2 occasions, I think, at this session, on some bill certainly of not more importance than this, he insisted regularly upon not adjourning the Senate, but jon until an hour as late as this, night after night, and finally adjourned on getting an understanding as to the time when the vote should be taken. On this bill there has been an adjournment 4 evenings at 5 o'clock, and I think only one evening did we sit after 5 o’clock. Now it is for the Senate to do just what it pleases. I am no more interested in this matter than anyone else; I do not ask the Senate to remain as a personal favor to me. I have nothing to say about it. If the Senate choose to adjourn every afternoon at half past two, so be it; but let us have the vote taken by yeas&nays and regularly entered on the record. have given notice that tomorrow I shall ask the Senate to stay until the bill is finished. When I have asked them to do so there is the end of it as far as I am concerned. If they do not choose to stay sheyeneed not –Ihave nothing to say about that; the time is at their disposal, and not at mine. My observation in the Senate with regard to this matter of dinner and the importance of dinner has led me to the conclusion that, not withstanding all the feeling there is for the freedmen and for our friends down South, &c., if they should happen by any accident to weigh in the balance against dinner at the regular hour they would be very apt to kick the beam, notwithstanding all the talk we make about them. That's my notion. Now, I do not claim any merit for myself. I voted against the recess of the Senate for ten days during the holidays. I stayed here during the whole of the time and worked every day upon this bill, with the exception of Sundays, and I do not want to be questioned too particularly about them; and I have worked on it every day since that I could get an opportunity to do so, and I have gone without my dinner. Now, if gentlemen choose to say that dinner is of so much importance that they cannot stay, so be it; only it does not rest with me.