For want of the nail, as the old story goes, the battle was lost. … For want of a little foresight, Bobby Baker, the former clerk of the Senate Majority, whose financial doings have broken into a major scandal, would still be — or might still be — in office. When Baker, who had set up a vending machine firm of his own, managed to get a reversal of a government contract signed with Capital Vending Company — a rival outfit — Ralph Hill, president of Capital Vending, allowed word to get to Baker that he was contemplating suing. Baker refused to take the threat seriously; Hill, he told associates, would never dare bring suit. Even after the suit had been filed, Baker continued to tell his intimates that there was nothing to worry about; the whole thing would blow over. But it was the Capital Vending suit that brought Baker into sudden national prominence and triggered Sen. John Williams’ interest in the Senate page who had made it too good.
Cato
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