1904 Surinamese general election

Partial general elections were held in Suriname in March 1904 to elect five of the thirteen members of the Colonial States.

Electoral system

The elections were held using the two-round system, with suffrage restricted to men meeting certain criteria. Voters had multiple votes, and any candidate receiving a number of votes equivalent to over 50% of the valid ballots cast was elected in the first round. If not all seats were filled, a second round was held.

Candidates were elected for a six-year term with staggered elections every two years. However, all 13 members had been renewed in the 1902 elections; they were divided into three groups; five had two-year terms and were up for renewal in 1904, four had four-year terms and were up for renewal in 1906 and four had six-year terms and were up for renewal in 1908.

The five members with two-year terms were Karel Hendrik Bergen  [ nl ] (who had only been elected in January 1903 to replace Julius Muller  [ nl ]), Daniel Coutinho, Isaac de Costa  [ nl ], Jacobus Arnoldus Dragten  [ nl ] and Cornelis Johannes Heylidy  [ nl ]. All five ran for re-election.

Around 800 people were eligible to vote. ^[1]

Results

With 469 valid votes cast, ^[2] candidates required 235 votes to be elected in the first round.

Candidate	Votes	%	Notes
Jacobus Arnoldus Dragten  [ nl ]	374	79.74	Re-elected
Daniel Coutinho	362	77.19	Re-elected
Isaac de Costa  [ nl ]	344	73.35	Re-elected
Charles Ferdinand Schoch  [ nl ]	314	66.95	Elected
François Wijnand Hensen  [ nl ]	266	56.72	Elected
Karel Hendrik Bergen  [ nl ]	192	40.94	Unseated
Th.J.F. Valoise Smith	48	10.23
Richard O'Ferrall  [ nl ]	20	4.26
H.J. van der Sluys	16	3.41
Cornelis Johannes Heylidy  [ nl ]	9	1.92	Unseated
C.A.J. Struiken	9	1.92
Samuel Bueno Bibaz  [ nl ]	9	1.92
Roelof Fabriek  [ nl ]	8	1.71
A. Lindveld	7	1.49
Jie-Sam-Foek	5	1.07
J. Pool	3	0.64
A.R. Einaar	3	0.64
A.A. Ter Laag	3	0.64
G.F.C. Hering	2	0.43
Jacobus Carolius Juda  [ nl ]	2	0.43
L. Scheurlen	2	0.43
W.E. Soesman	2	0.43
P. Carst	2	0.43
W.H.A. van Romondt	2	0.43
A. Jie-A-Foek	2	0.43
J. Hoogstad	2	0.43
C.W. Wildeboer	2	0.43
J.G. Kaersenhout	2	0.43
L.F. Voet	2	0.43
Frowein	2	0.43
E.A. Cabell	2	0.43
C.F.A. Abendanon	1	0.21
Bath	1	0.21
F. Boissevain	1	0.21
Heniy Bos	1	0.21
P.A. Bruggemann	1	0.21
P.A.A. Bucaille	1	0.21
R. Bueno de Mesquita	1	0.21
W.F. Chateau	1	0.21
J.E. Dachten	1	0.21
J.V. Dahlberg	1	0.21
H. d'Angremond	1	0.21
Dragten	1	0.21
G.J. Fabius	1	0.21
Joost Fernandes	1	0.21
J.R. Folmer	1	0.21
F. Folmer	1	0.21
S.H. Gonggrijp	1	0.21
Gorsira	1	0.21
Sandy Green	1	0.21
James Green	1	0.21
G.C. Grefe	1	0.21
S.L. Guicherit	1	0.21
W. ten Harmsen van der Beek	1	0.21
L.J. Heilbron	1	0.21
Pitta Heilbron	1	0.21
J.N. Helstone	1	0.21
Hoekstra	1	0.21
Th.E. Juda	1	0.21
A.V. Juda	1	0.21
W. de Kanter	1	0.21
S.J. Koster	1	0.21
William Kraan  [ nl ]	1	0.21
A. Krabbendam	1	0.21
A.J. Le Grand	1	0.21
A. de Leeuw-Caupain	1	0.21
Jong-A Loek	1	0.21
Beckering van Loenen	1	0.21
Luchmonsing	1	0.21
Jack Mercurius	1	0.21
Eli Morpurgo	1	0.21
A.P. Nassy	1	0.21
J. Noordbergh	1	0.21
J.A. Pet	1	0.21
J.M. Polak	1	0.21
A. Polak	1	0.21
W.I.H. Polak	1	0.21
J. van Praag	1	0.21
C.P. Rier	1	0.21
C. Samuels	1	0.21
J. Samuels	1	0.21
A. Samuels	1	0.21
J.W. Schenkel	1	0.21
Franciscus Smith  [ nl ]	1	0.21
Valois Smith	1	0.21
J.N. Stolk	1	0.21
W.A.C. Stolting	1	0.21
W.A. de Sturler	1	0.21
C.H. Themen	1	0.21
E.A. Tjin-Kon-Fat	1	0.21
Tjong-Poen-Gin	1	0.21
F de Vries	1	0.21
M. Vyent	1	0.21
J.E. Wesenhagen	1	0.21
H.W. Weytingh	1	0.21
A. Wolf	1	0.21
Wong-Lun-Hing	1	0.21
Total	2,084	100.00
Valid votes	469	97.30
Invalid/blank votes	13	2.70
Total votes	482	100.00
Source: De Surinamer [3]

Aftermath

In 1905 Frederik Willem Morren  [ nl ] resigned. Although Henri Benjamins won the by-election held in March to succeed him, he declined the offer and Roelof Fabriek  [ nl ] won the subsequent by-election in April.

9 March 1905 by-election

Candidate	Votes	%
Henri Benjamins	212	59.38
Karel Hendrik Bergen  [ nl ]	83	23.25
Samuel Bueno Bibaz  [ nl ]	35	9.80
Richard O'Ferrall  [ nl ]	8	2.24
C. van Drimmeln	4	1.12
H.J. van Ommeren	3	0.84
Wong-Lung-Hing	3	0.84
J.L. Hijmans	2	0.56
L.C. Dongen	1	0.28
Roelof Fabriek  [ nl ]	1	0.28
Th. Valois Smith	1	0.28
R.F.A. Del Prado	1	0.28
L.J. Heilbron	1	0.28
M.H. Arland	1	0.28
J.A. de Gelder	1	0.28
Total	357	100.00
Valid votes	357	93.95
Invalid votes	3	0.79
Blank votes	20	5.26
Total votes	380	100.00
Source: De Surinamer [4]

April 1905 by-election

Candidate	First round		Second round
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Roelof Fabriek  [ nl ]	136	30.98	214	51.07
Jacobus Carolius Juda  [ nl ]	135	30.75	205	48.93
Karel Hendrik Bergen  [ nl ]	110	25.06
Richard O'Ferrall  [ nl ]	21	4.78
L.J. Heilbron	12	2.73
J.E. Abarbanel	9	2.05
J.J. Halfhide	7	1.59
Samuel Bueno Bibaz  [ nl ]	2	0.46
Julius Warner	1	0.23
S.M.M. de Vries	1	0.23
Van Sichem	1	0.23
Sleeswijk	1	0.23
J. Bakker	1	0.23
A.A. Ter Laag	1	0.23
H. Moll	1	0.23
Total	439	100.00	419	100.00
Valid votes	439	96.91	419	96.10
Invalid/blank votes	14	3.09	17	3.90
Total votes	453	100.00	436	100.00
Source: De Surinamer [5] [6]

Charles Ferdinand Schoch  [ nl ] also resigned in 1905 as he left Suriname to work in the Netherlands. Karel Hendrik Bergen  [ nl ] was elected as his successor in June.

June–July 1905 by-election

Candidate	First round		Second round
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Karel Hendrik Bergen  [ nl ]	195	48.51	284	58.44
D. Fernandes Jr.	175	43.53	202	41.56
Jacobus Carolius Juda  [ nl ]	17	4.23
H.M.D. Robertson	8	1.99
Richard O'Ferrall  [ nl ]	3	0.75
Pieter Alexander May  [ nl ]	1	0.25
Bergen	1	0.25
W. Bovel	1	0.25
D. Fernandes	1	0.25
Total	402	100.00	486	100.00
Valid votes	402	95.26	486	97.20
Invalid/blank votes	20	4.74	14	2.80
Total votes	422	100.00	500	100.00
Source: De Surinamer, [7] Nieuew Surinaamsche courant [8]

Adrianus van 't Hoogerhuys  [ nl ] (elected in 1902) resigned the same year. Jacobus Carolius Juda  [ nl ] was elected as his successor.

August 1905 by-election

Candidate	Votes	%
Jacobus Carolius Juda  [ nl ]	198	89.19
D. Fernandes Jr.	20	9.01
Richard O'Ferrall  [ nl ]	2	0.90
J. Warner	1	0.45
M. Vijent	1	0.45
Total	222	100.00
Valid votes	222	96.10
Invalid/blank votes	9	3.90
Total votes	231	100.00
Source: De Surinamer [9]

Bergen died shortly after being elected and was replaced by John Robert Thomson  [ nl ].

October 1905 by-election

Candidate	Votes	%
John Robert Thomson  [ nl ]	128	61.24
Samuel Bueno Bibaz  [ nl ]	48	22.97
Pieter Walther Hering  [ nl ]	19	9.09
F. Siewertsz van Reesema	3	1.44
Wong-Lun-Hing	2	0.96
Richard O'Ferrall  [ nl ]	1	0.48
A. Beck	1	0.48
M. Jessurun	1	0.48
J.A.E. Berkenveld	1	0.48
C. Zeekamp	1	0.48
J. Warner	1	0.48
J.J. van Meerten	1	0.48
J.C. Juda	1	0.48
Ta Jauw	1	0.48
Total	209	100.00
Valid votes	209	96.31
Invalid/blank votes	8	3.69
Total votes	217	100.00
Source: De Surinamer [10]

References

1. "Koloniale Staten". Suriname. 25 March 1904.
2. "Koloniale Statenverkiezing". Dagblad van Zuidholland en 's Gravenhage. 23 April 1904.
3. "Uitslag der verkiezing". De Surinamer. 27 March 1904.
4. "Koloniale Staten". De Surinamer. 12 March 1903.
5. "De Verkiezing". De Surinamer. 6 April 1905.
6. "Koloniale Staten". De Surinamer. 27 April 1905.
7. "Koloniale Staten". De Surinamer. 15 June 1905.
8. "Stadnieuws". Nieuew Surinaamsche courant. 9 July 1905.
9. "Verkiezing: Kol. Staten". De Surinamer. 10 August 1905.
10. "Uitslag der Verkiezing". De Surinamer. 2 November 1905.