The Birth of the City of Miami 27


 The next item of business was the passage, by a unanimous vote,
of a resolution urging the Postmaster General to direct the postmas-
ter of Miami, Alice Brickell, "to immediately move the post office to
a convenient location on the north side of the Miami River" since
more than ninety percent of the population of Miami was living on
that side. The voters also requested that the Miami post office be
made a full money-order post office.105 Following the post office
resolution, Justice of the Peace George W. Pierce administered the
municipal oath of office to the new mayor Reilly who, in turn, admin-
istered the oath to the seven aldermen.106
 The meeting closed with County Solicitor James B. Sanders of
West Palm Beach "calling for three cheers for Miami and the new
officers, which were given with a vim," and with speeches delivered
by J. A. McDonald, lawyer E. F. McKinley, who had provided legal
advice, Walter S. Graham and J. J. Haggerty.o07 Isidor Cohen later
recalled that one of the best speeches had been made by a black
voter, whom he identified as A. C. Lightburn, but whom later records
recognize as Alex C. Lightbourn.108
 After the meeting, McKinley telegraphed the results to J. R.
Parrott and J. E. Ingraham, who were spending the night in West
Palm Beach before coming to the new city of Miami.'09 Early the
next morning, McDonald wired the results of the voting to Flagler in
New York. Later that day, the following telegraph message, ad-
dressed to Joseph A. McDonald, was received in Miami:


 Telegram received. I congratulate the citizens of Miami upon
 the harmony which marked the election yesterday and trust that
 the auspicious beginning will result in future prosperity which
 will equal the most sanguine expectation of the people of the
 new city.

 H. M. Flagler110

 The election results came as no surprise to Flagler, who has
been called "Miami's Benevolent Dictator." He had invested no small
sum in the railroad extension and development of Miami. He could
not afford to sit by and watch an anti-Flagler group take control of
his city. As he employed the great majority of the potential electors
in the city, his men could decide the election.