Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13


| among automobilists of the proposed par
tcpation of American-maue machines in
| tour of England and the continent of Eu-
| rope for a trophy known as 1.-The American
gold cup In speaking of the matter re-
Gently an authority said:
81 earnestly believe that the American au-
F.! tomobile industry is now very close to lead
ing, and may, inside of two years or less,
see its products the favorites on the market
America alone afford to produce excel
lent work in very large quantities and In
the least possible time. American phono-
graphs, typewriters, bicycles sewing ma
chimes, tool machines agricultural imple-
ments etc, are extensively, if not eXclu-
sively, used the world over, and absolutely
recognized best.
THE same field which has been so profit
ably cultivated by the manufacturers OF
those products offers an even greater OPP
portunity to the builders Of American motor
cars.
ION the other hand, there are, particularly
in the older continent, In cougries IKE
France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany,
Russia Belgium, England and the colonies
Of said countries, in Africa, Asia, Australia:
Algeria ETC.. many hundreds of millions OF
idle dollars that are destined. sooner or
later, to be invested In Industrial or pleas
ure motor vehicles.
The European industry, all put together,
is not productive enough at the present
time to reap from such an immense held,
and will be still less capable of doing so IN
the near future.
THE European manufacturer has been at
all times very clever and industrious in de-
veloping the sales for his product in the
rich American market. He came TO TINS
country himself shipped some good cars
over here at his own risk and expense es-
tablished agencies exhibited at our auto
mobile shows, competed In our races, etc.
| The result of this activity (more, perhaps,
than the quality of the products offered) Is
that the imported car, French, German or
Italian has made for itself a very large
reputation in the United States. Even
abroad the travelling Americans. seized by
the whirlpool of fashion, tour in European
cars.
It is UP to US now to invert the order of
things. The time has come when the Amer
ican-made motor car can show Itself TO the
old world as advantageously as any.
But in view of this, and for quick and
permanent results, there should not be any
question of patient individual invasions
of solitary agencies. because in the auto
mobile trade small, modest things have ever
proved to be of very little effect
II shall always remember at the Paris
salon of 1905 poor little booth in a dark
corner where was exhibited one of the best
American chassis. l am sure that per
cent of the 100000 people that invaded the
immense Grand Palais hall did not notice
the booth and that / per cent did not stop
to examine the car However. these manu-
facturers had spent "a great deal of money
to allow their sample to await there the
kind attention of the passerby!
Il remember also what an extraordinary
impression upon the French public's mind
was created for the first time by the IA
nous Barnum & Bailey circus: These
Americans who had come from their far-
away country in their own ships, who We're
travelling In Europe, north and south IN
their own trains, and above all! that ire
mendouS value of artists, Wild beasts,
| l., %ay,fc ial s
founded the crowds who gave the old man,
Bailey, the little sum of seven million francs
for sojourn of four months!
although the comparison may seemsome-
what rude, this is exactly the thing to do.
We must impress the European by great
demonstration, moving exhibition, when
will be, besides the most beautiful refined
and instructive of all pleasure trips ever
organized, the only and surest way to open
big and permanent market in the old
world
1t is now well understood that two or
three automobile manufacturers who first
stated that they would not take part in the
Florida automobile speed contest, owing to
the presence there Of the so-called freak
cars" are now quietly preparing to go to
Florida with their racing cars, having salts
fed themselves that there will be no
freak cars there outside of the steam
racing car seen on the beach last winter,
as the same car will be used in the forth
coming races.
The advocates of steam power will be in
terested in knowing that two steam racing
cars will be entered in the one-hundred and
the two hundred-mile races in Florida. The
work Of these cars, which look very much
like the usual racing car, in the long races
will be watched with interest all over the
world, as the manufacturers OF the car de-
clare that the hundred-mile record will be
held by the steamers when the Florida
tournament is over.
The drive by Ralph R. Owen of the Cleve-
land Automobile Club, New York to Flori
da, has aroused considerable interest in
touring in the southland In the winter.
Mr.. Owens destination is Ormond-Day
tona beach, on the east coast of Florida,
and the people of that section are inter-
ested In the proposition Of good roads for
the Florida east coast.
Considerable road building has been go
ing on in the neighborhood Of Palm Beach
and Ormond and Dsytona, and the latter