| 1, Modena Villas, Maitland Park.
26
Sept. 1866
My Dear Sir,
Consequent upon my absence from London, I received
your letter d.d. Sept. 15
only to-day.
1) The members of the Prussian Lower House are
paid
, but the members of the electoral colleges are
not
.
2) The costs of election are defrayed out of the
provincial
(resp.
communal
)
Exchequers. From the nature of the proceeding, they cannot amount to much. The
limits of the
electoral ditricts are prescribed by law, each
electoral district is again divided into numerous smaller districts. Aliquot
parts of the population choose
each
one member for Parliament.
3) There is
no qualification
required for a man to become either a member of Parliament (Lower House) or
to 
//
a member of the electoral
colleges.
| 4) The
primary voters
include all men from the age of 25 years who pay any
direct
tax. Certain direct taxes are paid by almost everybody, even
servants. All
primary
voters are divided into
three classes
, formed in this way:
The
direct taxes
paid by the
primary voters say of one electoral district are summed together. This total sum
of direct taxes is divided into
3 equal parts
. The
first part is
composed
made up
of
by
individuals who pay most direct taxes, the second by those who stand
next
in
on
the scale of taxation, and the third by the remainder of the primary
voters. The respective contributors to every part form one electoral class. Each
of the three electoral classes so formed elects
the same
number of secondary electors
who form the electoral body that finally
nominates the members of Parliament.
5) The middle body or electoral fulfils no other
function.
6) I do not exactly
rember
//
remember for what number of years the deputies
are elected. If I am not greatly mistaken,
the English
“7 years” 
| were introduced under the reactionnary
Government of
Manteuffel
.
7) The modes of election
in
G
ermany
//
throughout Germany are far
from uniform. Generally. However, the system of double elections prevails.
In
Bavaria
f.i. every man, having
reached the age of 25 years, and paying any direct tax, is an elector.
Every district is subdivided into smaller ones, and each of them chooses a
certain member of
electors
, but
without the Prussian division of classes
. For every 31,500 primary
voters, there is one member of Parliament. The
communal
elections in Bavaria are regulated by the same
laws
law
as the parliamentary ones.
8) Cases of electoral bribery are absolutely unknown in
all
German states.
9) The
daily attendance
of members
of Parliament is rigorously enforced. No member 
| can stay away without
the permission of the President of the Lower House, and he can give no leave of
absence except in
such
cases
forever
(?)
//
as malady etc.
There exists no
such thing as
a “count
out”.
10) The ministers, or other public functionaries,
m
(?)
//
are eligible as members of the Lower House,
but they can assist (in person or by official
remplaçants
), and take part
in,
in
the debates, without being members. In the latter case they are, of
course, excluded from voting
Yours very truly
Karl Marx