1.--Composition._

_The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from
each state,[2] chosen by the legislature thereof,[3] for six years;[4] and
each senator shall have one vote.[5]_

[1] Latin _senatus_, from _senex_, an old man. This dignified term seems a
favorite, being used in many countries to designate the upper house. In
other countries a term is used having the same signification.

[2] This arrangement will be remembered as the concession made by the
large states to the small ones.

Had the number of senators been fixed at one from each state, equality of
power among the states would still have been secured; but sickness or
accident might then leave a state unrepresented. By having two, this
difficulty is obviated. The two can consult about the needs of their state;
and the Senate is large enough to "confer power and encourage firmness."
Three from each state would bring no advantages which are not now secured,
while the Senate would be unnecessarily large and expensive.

[3] This mode of election was fixed upon for two reasons: First, the
senators represent the state, as such, and hence it seemed proper that
they should be chosen by the body which acts for the state in its
corporate capacity; second, the members of the House of Representatives
being elected by the people, it was deemed advisable to elect the senators
in a different way, in order that, by representing different elements,
each house might act as a check upon the other. Incidentally, election by
the legislature was considered good, because it would serve as a
connecting link between the states and the United States.

[4] The long term gives dignity and independence to the position of
senator; it gives assurance of stability in the national councils, and
tends to secure for them confidence at home and respect abroad; it raises
senators "above the whims and caprices of their constituents, so that they
may consult their solid interests, rather than their immediate wishes."

[5] Under the confederation each state had from two to seven members of
congress, but only one vote. If the delegation was equally divided on any
question, or if only one member was present, the state lost its vote.

By the present arrangement a state need not go entirely unrepresented on
account of the absence of one of its senators.

_Clause 2.--Classification and Vacancies._

_Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first