Bland-Allison Act
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The Bland-Allison Act of 1878 was a response to the Fourth Coinage Act, or the "Crime of '73!" demonetizing silver. Representative Richard P. Bland of Missouri introduced this bill for the free coinage of silver at ratio of 16:1 to gold. Senator William Allison of Iowa added a provision that limited the amount purchased by the U.S. Treasury to between 2 and 4 million dollars worth of bullion per month at market prices which was coined into silver dollars.
This compromise was part of a struggle between the silver and bimetal-standard groups with that of the gold-standard forces who tried to repeal it altogether. The Treasury Department would never buy more than the $2 million minimum amount. The Bland-Allison Act was replaced in 1890 by the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.