Mr. PERHAM. Mr. Speaker, I congratu late the old soldiers of the war of 1812that they have found in the Gentfrom Pennsylvania [Mr. MILLER] so earnest a su)porter and advocate on this floor. It. cannot e expected in opposing a measure of this kind I shall be able to manifest that sort of enthusiasm as the gentleman has done. Now, I would be glad could I bring myself to the belief that the country is in a condition for such an expenditure of the public money as this proposes. But, air, the goinmittec on Invalid Pensions, after the examination they gave to the subject, came to the unanimous conclusion thatwe cannot do this thing now. I have nothing to say derogatory to the merits of the old soldiers of that war. They performed their duties faithfully and well, and a grateful people have done them honor from that time to the present. For 52 years this country with iberal hand, the Treasury of the country all the time being in easy circumstances, has been legislating for their benefit. We have granted eiisions to every man who has in the least been injured in that service. We have granted ien sions to the widows of all who have die of disease contracted, or wounds received, in the service. We have also given bounty land to every man who could prove he was in the service 14 days. In this Congress, and in previous Congresses, we have been liberal in special legislation for these men. Now, sir, the ComInvalidPens have been disposed to afford relief when ever they could find any good reason for so doing, and the votes of the House show they have always been ready to 2nd them in this re rd. t is true we pensioned the surviving so diers 'of the revolutionary war about 52 years after the close of that war, and that now about the same time has elapsed since the close of the war of 1812. But 52 years after the close of the revolutionary war we were under very different circumstances from those which now surround us. We have now do endent upon us a vast number of wounded so diers, and the widows and children of soldiers who have been killed during the rebellion, creating a heavy expense which we must meet. In answer to the inquiry of the Gentfrom NewYork [Mr. ALE] as to the amount of expenditure under this bill, I will say it is impossible to ascertain the number of men now living who were in the war of 1812. From the information of the Pension Bureau, and from the investigation the committee has given the subject, we have arriVed at the conclusion that there are not less than 111,000.