Los Banos Rotary Club History
Steve Galvin Is Rotary Club Speaker

Stephen Galvin, Merced attorney and candidate for the office of district attorney of this county, was guest speaker at the Rotary Club luncheon Tuesday noon, talking on the U.S. Constitution and particularly the Fifth, Amendment, which provides that in a criminal case a person cannot be compelled to testify against himself.

Lauding the Constitution as ne of the major distinguishing features of the American way of life, Galvin emphasized that the Fifth Amendment is but one of ten that guarantees to each citizen of this country the individual freedoms that are so cherished here.

In recent years, he said, there has been increasing doubt as to the merits of the Fifth Amendment and whether or not it is in effect undermining the entire constitution. He pointed out that at the time the amendment was approved brutality was commonplace in forcing testimony from accused persons, and it was to prevent this practice that the amendment was created.
Galvin declared that the over all benefits from the Amendment far outweighed the comparatively few abuses, and expressed the opinion that the people of this country should never permit legislation which would do anything to make the government stronger at the expense of the individual.

June 4, 1954

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