The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-21

sounding az that which tells Of the bicycle
A toy. II has overturned the trade OF
nations within the compass of Eve fleet
ing years. Serious people laughed at II
and called the folk who rode IL '.fsAtaer-
brains"
Today these same serious people have
recalled their capital from worId-wffe en-
terprises and started In anew In the BIZ
cycle business 10 save themselves from
commercial shIpwreek.
The whirrsn4 OF these cobweb wheels
has been like the spiders spinning -sllcnf.
wonderful. Fortunes have been made ss
IL By magic. Men who i've years ago had
not the price Of a MAS for their souls
sake. nor any apparent means Of getting
IL, count their riches now In seven fgures.
Every luxury this world knows Ia theirs
Tor the wishing.
There have been South Sea bubbles and
feyers OF gold. and coal and oil. BUT all
this history OF money manias shows no
parallel TO the bicycle fever. II has set
civilization by the ears. Trade Ii today q
hodgs-podge, and no man. III all .aen are
% be believed. 10 making money except the
man who makes the bicycle. Moreover.
no man can tell where IL VIII end.
The facts and figures are appalling. Com
merce, for all Its keen vision. cannot read
them Alright. Five years ago In the whole
wide country. not 90 900 bicycles were raade
or sold. and the solid. stoiid business men
made mock of the ''playthings"
Mark the change. In this year OF grace
and pneumatic tires. four-afths Of a mil
Hon of wheels will De marketed In the
United States alone.
The leaders OF the bicycle trade say that
an average price for these machines t.
$50 Multiply. There vii have been sss.Dfe.-
o0a spent this year in the United States
~ So Ia Ia
mad.
Here is SO. Doc. 600 detected from the Or
binary channels OF trade. and into the BIZ
cycle pocket Man, woman and chii5-the
population OF Christendom-is awfsei
sBuziness hours'' are the only intervals
now. that must eiapss bet ween trips upon
the wheel Honest debts have no claim
on attention. The bicycle Is a preferred
creditor 10 every man, rich and poor. The
butcher. the baker and the candlsstiek-
maker NAV whistle for their pay so long
as the bicycle vendor Is well reekoned
with.
Firms which for a century have Weather
ed financial gales have stopped, deaj. in
. twinkling, nos. The money whieh used
20 Cow into their Golfers goes for bicycles.
The church, IL II forgotten The Sab
hash7 A cycling day. The theates7 Old
fashioned fun. The horses Token and
companion OF gentlemanhosd. hack.
browsing on the highway. Iewe!sT
watcher ciothlnx7 The men who car
RED on those industries have turned their
machinery 10 the making of rubber tires
and ball bearings.
Tobacco has bean forsaken. Wine ~ .
mocker Knocked at. Wheels and ginger
pop. That Is the order OF the day. Rail-
road dividends are decimated. Politics has
become merely a catering 70 the Wheel
mems wishes.
There was talk once OF railroad lobby
IN legislatures. Where IL IL nowy Read
the history OF the Armstrong bin at Al
bany. The hlcycls had force there which
made the railroad lobby look Ike pulling
infant
And. more remarkable than the mere
fact that n all has been dons IN FIVE short
years. f. this. that the bicycle. In addt-
hon TO DETECTING money from all the legiti-
naata channels OF trade. has kept people
from spending money which they were
abe to spend, would have spent. In other
ways of luxury. That IS the marvel OF the
sport. That is its keynote.
The Sunday Journal has during the past
week caneassed the tradex--the old-fRsh-
ioned trades which people used 10 spend
their money on before the bicycle came
10 overwhelm everything else. and set the
worlds market at standstiil. IL has
learned OF The millions upon millions Of
money which are invested In the manafac-
snre Of wheels. the incredible profits which
are reapea from their sale.
IT has traced the money from the this Of
shoe men, tailors. piano men. confecsion-
srs. tohacconists. horse dealers and livery
men. dry goods men. railroads. book SELF
srs-every trade and occupation IL has
heard the tales Of woe which tradesnen
ter of having 10 abandon their proper lines
OF business and start the sale Of bicycles
- keep from making assignments and go
ing irre,rievahly 20 the wall.
The sArinkage IN every line OF business
II tremendous and tho trade periodicals
which voice the feelings Of the business
men are fun OF complaining.
Perhaps the best financial and economic
authority In America Il the Journal %
Commerce. After indicating the trades
which have suffered most the Journal 81
Commerce makes this editorial statement
Some Of the expenditures for bicycles
may have come out Of savings. but such
Information as we have from savings
hanks and building associations Indicates
That a very ~srnsil part OF it has been 50
obtained The deposits In savings hanks
IN this state last year were exceptionally
large. and vet Il Is evident without stats
ties that the expenditure for wheels was
very great Most OF the wheels are in ali
Probability bought With money that would
afherWise have heen spent Tor dress or
ornaments or housekeeping expenses. or
la-eheons or aru1semeatS- The diveSsion
- anywhere from fifty % seventy million
collars IN a year from the clothing ana
tese'ry and dry goods trades ard other
INES 81 business catering "a comfort ana
iasary. ana 10 a certain extent - real
needs Also wnl account Tor a good deaf of
Sadness 81 trade and aosSi deal 81 di-
mlnsshea requirements on the part 81 re-
saa merchants. a.
No Inc ~ trade has suffered 50 great a
nroSortlonste loss as the horse trade The
Bicycle has killed the horse trade. The
manager ~ the Windsor livery stables. en-
Ferty-algth street said. Oar business
lsi away fully 81 par cent. last year. There
. no use saying that Il was the trolley
cars and cable cars that lid S. II was
ne bicycle. We hoashs Cor summer use
twenty cew runahont wagons They have
nsFer been OF ERE UPPER loft ~ ere harn.
sneFe ;hsy we're stored frcFa that day 70
'asS Men who keen tasir owu horses. ard
sae have gensFaiiy taken them sianx 20
We eoGatry ia summer time. are leaving
taen home this year. with Instructions %
sci X opportunity comes. Especially are
sssdle horses drug In the market We
ase1 70 seen twenty. Now there = no
tsa Tor them. You can hnv thesn fsa- a
soag. lou can set firss-class horses new
s9r what yea would have pata fer an ola
SAFeASs I've years sse. Riding academies
aaFs failed and been taTasA into hseyele
sesools- Livervnsen have. II many eases
osnoses or a. hus a few - their horses
- p0t Bicycles IN their stalls gnxteaa
1he business Is dead
Marriages are equally drug n tha
ssrEe' ana saaaiery hardware firms
save ABSOLUTELY nothing t. 90. Failure
afos Failure stteSts that Mea whe 8ealf
ssy have - business. and - the farm
- Aas 70 market 4ar HI Aax rysA. el-..-.t.