evidence: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State. [U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 3, clause 1] [...] Every two years, one-third of the Senate’s members are elected (or reelected). The Constitution’s framers based this three-class system on precedents established by state governments. Delaware’s senate and Pennsylvania’s unicameral council were divided into three classes on a one-year election rotation, while upper houses in Virginia and New York had four classes and yearly elections. [...] On June 26, 1787, Charles Pinckney of South Carolina proposed that senators should serve without compensation so as to ensure that only wealthy individuals would serve. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania also argued against paying senators, warning that the public might suspect the delegates of having "carved out places" for themselves since they were likely candidates to become senators. When put to a vote, Pinckney’s proposal nearly passed, with five states in favor and six opposed. The delegates then decided by a vote of 10 to 1 to compensate members of Congress.