BUTLER COUNTY GOP PLANS LINCOLN DAY EVENT

POPLAR BLUFF - Last year's first Poplar Bluff Lincoln Day rally was such a success, according to the Butler County Republican Central Committee and the Young Republicans, that they're going to have another one this year.

Featured speakers will be U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, along with two Missouri gubernatorial hopefuls, Treasurer Wendell Bailey and Attorney General William Webster, said Matt Henson, president of the Young Republicans.

State Rep. Mark Richardson will also be present.

Henson said that tickets are now being sold for the filet mignon dinner that will be held in the Ledgerock Room of the Holiday Inn at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Individual tickets are $15 per person or $25 per couple.

At 5 p.m. a cocktail reception will be held in Room 218 of the Holiday Inn for the Golden Sponsors. Tickets for this event will be $75 for individuals and $125 per couple, and the Golden Sponsors will have a chance to talk one-on-one to the political guests.

"This year for the first time we will give an award, the Kenneth M. Link Service Award, to someone dedicated to significant service in the Republican Party," Henson said. "This year's recipient will be Dale Richardson who has been active for 64 years."

Link is the late Republican sheriff of Butler County. He died in November.

Tickets are available for both the dinner and rally and the Golden Sponsors reception by calling 785-1484 or 686-1797. Advance tickets are encouraged, but tickets will be sold at the door.

Emerson has served the 8th Congressional District since 1980. He serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation.

Emerson was the first Republican to be elected in the 8th District in 52 years, and the first Republican to be re-elected in 62 years. He is the first Republican from the district ever to be elected to three terms in Congress. He is now in his sixth term.

Bailey, currently the state treasurer, already has announced his intention to seek the Republican nod to run for governor in 1992. Gov. John R. Ashcroft has served two terms and cannot succeed himself.

Bailey is the first Republican to be re-elected to the treasurer's office in the state's history. During his first term, he bid the state's main bank account and by selecting the lowest bid saved the state more than $4,000 a day. By investing the state's money in the state, Bailey doubled the amount of money invested with Missouri financial institutions. During Bailey's first four years, the Missouri Treasury has earned more interest than in any other similar time period.

Although Webster has not formally announced any campaign intentions for 1992, Republicans speculate that he also will run for governor. Webster is in his second term as Attorney General for Missouri. When he was first elected to the office in 1984, he was, at 31, the youngest person to hold that office in Missouri since 1892.

Webster served two terms in the Missouri House of Representatives before running for attorney general. During his tenure, Webster sponsored major legislation, including a bill to prevent the abuse of the insanity defense and legislation advocating a "victim's bill of rights." He also sponsored legislation to increase criminal penalties for drug trafficking and repeat offenders.

He began his political career at the age of 15 when he was appointed as a page in the House by Congressman Thomas B. Curtis. He returned to Washington in 1961 as an administrative assistant to Congressman Bob Ellsworth of Kansas and later to Congressman/Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland. From there, he went to work in the private sector, and from 1970 to 1979 he held executive positions at Fairchild Industries, the Interstate Natural Gas Association, the Federal Election Commission and TRW, Inc.

Emerson is a native of Hillsboro and has a B.A. degree from Westminster College in Fulton. He has a law degree from the University of Baltimore.Emerson and his wife, Jo Ann, have two daughters, and he has two older daughters from a previous marriage. He and his family live in Cape Girardeau.

Bailey manages $7.2 billion in state funds and the state's $300 million MO BUCKS, low-interest linked deposit program for farms, small business and jobs creations.

Bailey is a native of Willow Springs, and has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. He was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives for four terms. In 1980, he was elected to the U.S. Congress. Bailey and his wife, Jane, have three children.Alt

Webster's consumer protection program is recognized as one of the nation's best. His office receives more than 40,000 complaints a year resulting in a wide range of legal remedies. As a result, Webster has been named one of the "10 Most Feared Attorneys General"in 1988.Webster has an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and his law degree is from the University of Missouri in Kansas City. He was in private practice in Joplin before becoming attorney general. He and his wife, Susan, have three sons.