The problem was that the harvest of tobacco was poor in 1758. Because of that, the price of tobacco in Virginia rose from from two to six pennies per pound. This also meant the salary of clergy effectively tripled, that year. The state of Virginia was forced to act, and passed a law called the "Two Pennies Act": This law allowed the state authorities to pay the clergy in currency, instead of tobacco. It also fixed the exchange rate of tobacco: it said that for these payments, the state should take a rate of two  pennies per pound of tobacco.  King George III of Great Britain vetoed the law, causing an uproar in the colony. Many Virginia legislators saw the king's veto as a breach of their legislative authority.