MOUNT VERNON — A call for party unity and a rallying cry for the coming election were the themes heard at the Knox County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday evening at the Dan Emmett Conference and Convention Center. Party chairman Chip McConville gave the welcome to the dinner, announcing a new record attendance of 267 at this year’s celebration dinner.
“We are here tonight to celebrate the Lincoln legacy,” said McConville. “In standing up for the greatness of this country, we believe that the ballot is stronger than the bullet. We’re here to celebrate the legacies of the great leaders of this party. We’re here to celebrate the values that our party holds dear: Free enterprise, individual responsibility, hard work, limited government and the freedom to worship the way we choose.”
Ohio Congressman Bob Gibbs was then the guest speaker for the evening.
“Abraham Lincoln was a firm believer in the people,” said Gibbs, who then quoted a number of alarming statistics currently facing our state and country. Among those noted were an increase of 16 million people on food stamps in the past three years; 2 million more people out of work; the country’s debt exceeding the Gross National Product by over 100 percent; and the United States falling from fourth to 13th in the area of starting new businesses.





