 On monetary issues , Blaine continued the advocacy for a strong dollar that he had begun as a Representative . The issue had shifted from debate over greenbacks to debate over which metal should back the dollar : gold and silver , or gold alone . The Coinage Act of 1873 stopped the coinage of silver for all coins worth a dollar or more , effectively tying the dollar to the value of gold . As a result , the money supply contracted and the effects of the Panic of 1873 grew worse , making it more expensive for debtors to pay debts they had entered into when currency was less valuable . Farmers and laborers , especially , clamored for the return of coinage in both metals , believing the increased money supply would restore wages and property values . Democratic Representative Richard P. Bland of Missouri proposed a bill , which passed the House , that would require the United States to coin as much silver as miners could sell the government , thus increasing the money supply and aiding debtors . In the Senate , William B. Allison , a Republican from Iowa offered an amendment to limit the silver coinage to two to four million dollars per month . This was still too much for Blaine , and he denounced the bill , but the amended Bland – Allison Act passed the Senate by a 48 to 21 vote . Hayes vetoed the bill , but Congress mustered the two @-@ thirds vote to pass it over his veto . Even after the Bland – Allison Act 's passage , Blaine continued his opposition , making a series of speeches against it during the 1878 congressional campaign season . 
