Nation: The Long Arm of Billie Sol

The Billie Sol Estes scandal last week claimed its first elective victim. It was, ironically, a Republican and an old foe of Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman’s.

As Governor of Minnesota and chairman of the state’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Freeman tried for years to unseat stocky, moonfaced H. Carl Andersen as U.S. Representative from the rural Seventh Congressional District. But Andersen, a conservative on nearly all issues but high farm supports, seemed unbeatable; he was elected twelve times. Then, last January, along came Billie Sol.

Estes had been told that Andersen, as ranking G.O.P. member of the Agriculture appropriations subcommittee, would make a “good Republican contact.” So Estes paid a visit to Andersen’s office, wound up buying $4,000 worth of stock in an Andersen family coal mine. Andersen did not bother to deliver certificates until the Estes scandal broke.

When Andersen’s name popped up in the Estes investigation, many of his old colleagues cut him cold, bringing forth a piteous Andersen speech on the House floor: “Some of you gentlemen who have been shying off, come and say hello to H. Carl Andersen, come shake my hand.” From home came rumbles of Republican discontent, and Andersen announced that he would run for re-election as an independent. Then, fearing the loss of his party seniority in the House, he changed his mind, entered the Republican primary. But the Minnesota G.O.P. had already endorsed a freshman state legislator, Robert J. Odegard, 41, who campaigned against Andersen as “the rogue elephant of the Republican Party.” In last week’s primary, Odegard won handily, 27,643 to 15,865.