intorno all'
opportunita di abolire il ballottaggio, in _La
Riforma Sociale_, July-Aug., 1910.]

[Footnote 555: King and Okey, Italy To-day, 14.]

*417. Qualifications and Privileges of Members.*--A deputy is not
required to be a resident of the district from which he is chosen. He
must, however, be a citizen; must be at least thirty years of age;
must be in possession of full civil and political rights; and must not
belong to any of the classes or professions whose members are (p. 379)
debarred by law. All salaried government officials, all persons
receiving stipends from the state, and all persons ordained for the
priesthood or filling clerical office are disqualified outright.
Furthermore, while officers in the army and navy, ministers,
under-secretaries, and various other higher functionaries may be
elected, their number must never exceed forty, not including the
ministers and under-secretaries. Neither senators nor deputies receive
a salary or other compensation, a fact that undoubtedly accounts in
some measure for the uniformly slender attendance in the chambers.
Members are permitted, however, to travel free throughout Italy by
rail, or on steamers belonging to lines that have a government
contract containing a stipulation upon the subject. Measures providing
for the payment of members have been proposed from time to time, but
none have received the approval of the two chambers. A measure of the
sort introduced in 1882 by Francesco Crispi, when a deputy, was
rejected by the lower house. More recently, in the electoral bill
voted by the Chamber of Deputies in 1912 provision is made for the
payment of deputies; but at the time of writing final action upon this
project has not been taken. Deputies are elected nominally for a
five-year period, which is the maximum duration of a parliament. In
point of fact, a dissolution is practically certain to intervene
before the expiration of the full term, and the average interval
between elections is nearer three years than five. If for any reason a
deputy ceases to perform his duties, the electoral district that chose
him is called upon forthwith to elect a new representative.

*418. The Chambers: Organization.*--The constitution does not prescribe
definitely that the parliament shall be assembled annually. It
stipulates merely that the sessions of the two houses shall begin and
end at the same time, that a mee