The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1920-07-01

Vi lINlHSs lHClueHtdllN al lHe GlOst VI
his letter he told me that he had
bought a new car and expected to en-
joy the summer.
My friend makes about $4,000 a
year and he paid presume, about
81 400 for a car. He can, no doubt
afford it and wi get much joy out of
the car.
But l couldn't help thinking how
times have changed. How much
more money we spend for pleasure
than we did years ago.
/ think it WAS about 25 years ago
that DR.. Jones was building up prac-
tce in Canon City He was young.
progressive and Guccessful. one
time he went back to Missouri and
purchased a fine steam of dapper
grays, costing $500. 1t was one of
the finest teams ever brought to
Canon City. He also ordered fine
coupe which cost about $500.
| remember he had about $1,000 in
vested in the outfit. and he was the
talk of the town He was criticized.
of course. by some of his profession
for Advertising oyer-much. He was
talked about by many Il was inCon-
ceivable in those days how any oIldi-
nary country doctor or anybody else.
in fact. in a country town. could af-
ford to put $1,000 into driving outfit.
About that time. or a little later,
probably. l got horse and buggy at
a total cost of $50. That was about
the year of the Mckinley campaign,
when political bitterness ran strong
There were those in Canon City who
could not see how a country editor
could honestly amass a fortune large
enough to buy a horse and buggy, and
some evil-minded, free-silver enthus-
ist started the report that Mark
Hanna had bought me the horse That
always seemed to me to be a good
joke considering the stiff-necked old
sorrel | was driving-because I am
sure Mark Hanna wouldn't have been
guilty of buying such horse for any
of his friends.
George Rockafellow had a small
horse and buggy. costing. probably,
$3.50, and Clyde Dawson always had
a good riding or driving animal. Other
young sports about town had driving
outfits. running in value from 500 to
$500. D. E. Gibson soon set a higher
pace. but he was a big business man,
of course.
DR.. Jones' $1,000 outfit was the sen
ssation of the times.
How the times have changed?
Who can no. afford a $1,000 car to-
day?
Look over the town and see who
nave the cars. There are over 1900
cars in Fremont county today, and
they will average about $1,000 in
value. a $4,000 car creates no more
comment in Canon City today than
$3.50 pneumatic-tired runabout would
have made 25 years ago-or a 800
bicycle.
| remember when Frank Thomas
was building up the bicycle business
of the town. Good bicycles cost
about 800, and every time a person
tion in The Record. Our reporters
Ia polite way of referring to myself)
chased the bicycle stores for news. 1t
was quite an event in a mans life
when he walked up to Thomas shop
and planked down S100 and rode a new
bicycle away. He most likely didn't
plank down the 800, but paid only
part down and balance monthly
If The Record overlooked mention
ing one of these events, we heard
from it. We had items about old
folks learning to ride and how long 1t
back, and to Colorado Springs, etc
And we never overlooked telling OF
the purchase of a new bicycle If we
could get the item. The spending of
800 for a pleasure-riding machine
was matter of importance in those
days.
And today see that the Record
has about quit mentioning the buyers
fof new automobiles. 1t is such an
ordinary, everyday occurrence for
citizen to walk into one of the many
shops and buy $1,000 car, or a 80, 900
car, or $4,000 car, that it is no
longer considered news.
Surely times have changed in 25
years, and peoples idea of money IS
very different from the days of '94
and go.
A congressman get lots OF propa-
ganda on many interesting subjects
On my desk | have a little booklet
Facts and Figures of the Automobile
Industry" CHANGING over it, remind
ed me OF the letter from my friend of
the changing times.
| do not remember when the auto
mobile was first considered a success.
do know that in 1s96-the year of
the Mckinley ampaign-Barnum G.
Bailey's great circus advertised that
at would exhibit throughout the coun-
TRY "a ohrseless vehicle" That was
only "a years ago. and surely the au-
1omobile industry could hardly be said
TO be in its beginning. There was no
industry as yet-only a few expert
mental specimens of crude construc-
tion.
This little book tells me that there