golden blessedness six months, may enjoy the rights of citizenship, with the exception of Africans, Indians, and their descendants,— so that you see, Africans, Indians, and their descendants, although compelled to obey all the laws, and to contribute in every way to the support and exigencies of the Government are treated as slaves, simply because they are men of colour. This is fair play amongst a people boasting of their superior freedom, and of their pure and perfect liberty, until the name of liberty becomes nauseous. This is the practical humanity as respects mankind in California and in the Southern Slave States,—where a human being, merely because he has black blood in his veins, is trodden in the dust, or hunted to destruction like a wild beast. It is true the Californians do not deal in human flesh and blood, and this, I suppose, they consider to be making it a Free State.
At the first sight of this precious Constitution, which is so little known as deserving the execration of the world,—and which ought to have been execrated by its Press,—I resolved on remonstrating against its slave clause; not supposing for one moment that a protest from so humble an individual as myself would have any direct effect, but because I thought it possible that something of the kind might draw the attention of others to the subject, in the same way as I now insert these observations in this volume, hoping help from more influential sources. At any rate, it was carrying out practically the principles I advocate, and therefore I addressed the following letter, to the Governor of California:—
