Editing Grover Cleveland (section)

==Election of 1884==
{{Main|1884 United States presidential election|Grover Cleveland 1884 presidential campaign}}

===Nomination for president===
{{main|1884 Democratic National Convention}}
[[File:Bernard Gilliam - Phryne before the Chicago Tribunal.jpg|thumb|An anti-Blaine cartoon presents him as the "tattooed man", with many indelible scandals.]]
In June 1884, the Republican Party convened their [[1884 Republican National Convention|national convention]] in [[Chicago]], selecting former U.S. House Speaker [[James G. Blaine]] of [[Maine]] as their nominee for president. Blaine's nomination alienated many Republicans, including the [[Mugwumps]], who viewed Blaine as ambitious and immoral.<ref name="nevins185">Nevins, 185–186; Jeffers, 96–97</ref> The Republican standard-bearer was further weakened when the Conkling faction and President [[Chester Arthur]] refused to give Blaine their strong support.<ref>Tugwell, 88–89</ref> Democratic party leaders believed the Republicans' choice gave them an opportunity to win the White House for the first time since 1856 if the right candidate could be found.<ref name="nevins185" />

Among the Democrats, [[Samuel J. Tilden]] was the initial front-runner, having been the party's nominee in the [[1876 United States presidential election|contested election of 1876]].<ref name="nevins146">Nevins, 146–147</ref> After Tilden declined a nomination due to his poor health, his supporters shifted to several other contenders.<ref name="nevins146" /> Cleveland was among the leaders in early support, and [[Thomas F. Bayard]] of [[Delaware]], [[Allen G. Thurman]] of [[Ohio]], [[Samuel Freeman Miller]] of [[Iowa]], and [[Benjamin Butler (politician)|Benjamin Butler]] of [[Massachusetts]] also had considerable followings, along with various [[favorite son]]s.<ref name="nevins146" /> Each of the other candidates had hindrances to his nomination: Bayard had spoken in favor of [[secession]] in 1861, making him unacceptable to Northerners; Butler, conversely, was reviled throughout the [[Southern United States]] for his actions during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]; Thurman was generally well-liked, but was growing old and infirm, and his views on the [[Bimetallism|silver question]] were uncertain.<ref>Nevins, 147</ref>

Cleveland, too, had detractors—Tammany remained opposed to him—but the nature of his enemies made him still more friends.<ref>Nevins, 152–153; Graff, 51–53</ref> Cleveland led on the first ballot, with 392 votes out of 820.<ref>Nevins, 153</ref> On the second ballot, Tammany threw its support behind Butler, but the rest of the delegates shifted to Cleveland, who won. Thomas A. Hendricks of [[Indiana]] was selected as his running mate.<ref name="nevins154">Nevins, 154; Graff, 53–54</ref>

===Campaign against Blaine===
Corruption in politics was the central issue in 1884; Blaine had over the span of his career been involved in several questionable deals.<ref>Tugwell, 80</ref> Cleveland's reputation as an opponent of corruption proved the Democrats' strongest asset.<ref>Summers, ''passim''; Grossman, 31</ref> William C. Hudson created Cleveland's contextual campaign slogan "A public office is a public trust."<ref>Tugwell, 84</ref> Reform-minded Republicans called "[[Mugwump]]s" denounced Blaine as corrupt and flocked to Cleveland.<ref name="mugwump">Nevins, 156–159; Graff, 55</ref> The Mugwumps, including such men as [[Carl Schurz]] and [[Henry Ward Beecher]], were more concerned with morality than with party, and felt Cleveland was a kindred soul who would promote civil service reform and fight for efficiency in government.<ref name="mugwump" /> At the same time that the Democrats gained support from the Mugwumps, they lost some blue-collar workers to the [[United States Greenback Party|Greenback-Labor party]], led by ex-Democrat Benjamin Butler.<ref>Nevins, 187–188</ref> In general, Cleveland abided by the precedent of minimizing presidential campaign travel and speechmaking; Blaine became one of the first to break with that tradition.<ref>Tugwell, 93</ref>

The campaign focused on the candidates' moral standards, as each side cast aspersions on their opponents. Cleveland's supporters rehashed the old allegations that Blaine had corruptly influenced legislation in favor of the [[Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad]] and the [[Union Pacific Railway]], later profiting on the sale of bonds he owned in both companies.<ref name="blaine">Nevins, 159–162; Graff, 59–60</ref> Although the stories of Blaine's favors to the railroads had made the rounds eight years earlier, this time Blaine's correspondence was discovered, making his earlier denials less plausible.<ref name="blaine" /> On some of the most damaging correspondence, Blaine had written "Burn this letter", giving Democrats the last line to their rallying cry: "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, the continental liar from the state of Maine, 'Burn this letter!{{'"}}<ref>Graff, 59; Jeffers, 111; Nevins, 177, Welch, 34</ref>[[File:Another voice for Cleveland - F.B. LCCN95522869 - restoration2.jpg|thumb|An anti-Cleveland cartoon highlights the Halpin scandal.|left]]

Regarding Cleveland, commentator [[Jeff Jacoby (columnist)|Jeff Jacoby]] notes that, "Not since George Washington had a candidate for President been so renowned for his rectitude."<ref>{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Jacoby|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/02/15/presidents-day-grover-cleveland-most-honest-president-them-all/CmhndHa3aA1t0cvAfjB6LL/story.html|title='Grover the good'—the most honest president of them all|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=February 15, 2015|access-date=November 8, 2024|pages=2–15}}</ref> But the Republicans found a refutation buried in Cleveland's past. Aided by the sermons of Reverend [[George H. Ball]], a minister from Buffalo, they made public the allegation that Cleveland had fathered a child while he was a lawyer there,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lachman|first1=Charles|title=A Secret Life: The Sex, Lies, and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland|date=2011|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|pages=195–216|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jz8Zj58-xugC|access-date=October 14, 2016|chapter= Chapter 9 – "A Terrible Tale"|isbn=978-1-61608-275-8}}</ref> and their rallies soon included the chant "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?".<ref>Tugwell, 90</ref> When confronted with the scandal, Cleveland immediately instructed his supporters to "Above all, tell the truth."<ref name="Henry F. Graff 2002 61–63" /> He admitted to paying child support in 1874 to Maria Crofts Halpin, the woman who asserted he had fathered her son Oscar Folsom Cleveland and he assumed responsibility.<ref name="Henry F. Graff 2002 61–63" /> Shortly before the [[1884 United States presidential election|1884 election]], the Republican media published an affidavit from Halpin in which she stated that until she met Cleveland, her "life was pure and spotless", and "there is not, and never was, a doubt as to the paternity of our child, and the attempt of Grover Cleveland, or his friends, to couple the name of Oscar Folsom, or any one else, with that boy, for that purpose is simply infamous and false."<ref>{{cite book|last=Lachman|first=Charles|title=A Secret Life: The Sex, Lies, and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland|date=2011|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|pages=285–288|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jz8Zj58-xugC|isbn=978-1-61608-275-8}}</ref>

[[File:ElectoralCollege1884.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|The results of [[1884 United States presidential election|the 1884 election]]]]

The electoral votes of closely contested New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and Connecticut would determine the election.<ref>Welch, 33</ref> In New York, the Tammany Democrats decided that they would gain more from supporting a Democrat they disliked than a Republican who would do nothing for them.<ref>Nevins, 170–171</ref> Blaine hoped that he would have more support from Irish Americans than Republicans typically did; while the Irish were mainly a Democratic constituency in the 19th century, Blaine's mother was Irish Catholic, and he had been supportive of the [[Irish National Land League]] while he was Secretary of State.<ref>Nevins, 170</ref> The Irish, a significant group in three of the [[swing state]]s, did appear inclined to support Blaine until a Republican, [[Samuel D. Burchard (clergyman)|Samuel D. Burchard]], gave a speech pivotal for the Democrats, denouncing them as the party of "Rum, [[Romanism]], and Rebellion".<ref>Nevins, 181–184</ref> The Democrats spread the word of this implied anti-Catholic insult on the eve of the election. They also blistered Blaine for attending a banquet with some of New York City's wealthiest men.<ref>Tugwell, 94–95</ref>

After the votes were counted, Cleveland narrowly won all four of the swing states, including New York by 1,200 votes.<ref name="leip1884">{{Leip PV source 2|year=1884| as of=January 27, 2008}}, {{National Archives EV source|year=1888| as of=January 27, 2008}}</ref> While the popular vote total was close, with Cleveland winning by just one-quarter of a percent, the electoral votes gave Cleveland a majority of 219–182.<ref name="leip1884" /> Following the electoral victory, the "Ma, Ma&nbsp;..." attack phrase gained a classic riposte: "Gone to the White House. Ha! Ha! Ha!"<ref>Graff, 64</ref>