"Ma! Ma! Where's my pa?"
"Gone to the White House, ha, ha ha"
It was in the July 21st edition that the Buffalo Evening Telegraph dropped a bombshell into the presidential campaign of 1884. Under the banner of "A Terrible Tale," the Telegraph announced to the world "The Pitiful Story of Maria Halpin and Governor Cleveland's Son." The story was that Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland, a bachelor, had had an affair resulting in the birth of a son.
Cleveland's primary supporters and campaign staff asked if it was true, and he said that it was indeed so. When asked how to handle it in the campaign, he said, "Tell the truth." (snip)
The Republicans used the campaign slogan, "Ma Ma, Where's my Pa?" The controversy about public service and private morality raged across the nation.