Daily New Dominion

BACK FROM CUBA.

Old University Student has been there Several Years.

Hugh Frazer has Been Working in the Engineer Service—Had Charge of Very Important Work—Entire City Paved Under his Direction—Independence for Cuba Near.

Hugh Frazer formerly of Martinsburg and a former student of the University is here to visit his brother Col. Jas. C. Frazer. Since he left the University Mr. Frazer has been in the Island of Cuba in the military and later in the civil service engineering corps.

He enlisted in '98 in the military branch and served two years being discharged to enter the civil service branch.

During the first two years he served in nearly every part of the island making military maps and reconnaissances of the island for military purposes.

Seeing a chance to enter the more desirable position he obtained a discharge by favor and entered it.

While here he was an assistant engineer in the department of Matanzas and Santa Clara and had charge of the paving of the streets in Matanzas. This city has forty thousand inhabitants and the streets were all replaced with macadam.

They had gotten into a terrible condition under Spanish rule and had to be built entirely to bring them up to the required standard. All of this improvement was done under the direction of Mr. Frazer. Uncle Sam did work of this kind in all parts of the island and the debt has been placed on the people for whose benefit it was done. They will pay for it as their revenues justify.

Arrangements are being perfected for the declaration of the Independence of Cuba and in pursuance of this the engineers are being sent home. Mr. Frazer was one of those affected by this plan.

It is proposed to adopt a constitution which is now being drafted and an election will be held under it in a few months. A president will be chosen and a cabinet selected at the same time. The Cubans will be given independence at home with a few restrictions which are necessary.

Their army is only to be two thousand strong for police protection mainly. Their foreign diplomatic relations will be subject to the supervision of the United States and we will act as their protectors and counsellors.

The arrangement is satisfactory to the Cubans and they are very well pleased with the treatment that has been accorded them by their American friends.

While in the civil service Mr. Frazer was under Gen. James H. Wilson who has been sent to China and who is now second in command over there under Gen. Chaffee.