During that period, Newfoundland was an independent dominion within the British Empire, responsible for its own internal affairs.
Whiteway launched the new Liberal Party as a vehicle to promote the construction of a cross-island railway.
Under Robert Bond, the Liberals suffered a split when Edward Patrick Morris left to form the Newfoundland People's Party.
The economic crisis caused by the Great Depression compounded these problems, and led to riots in 1932.
Newfoundland's status as an independent dominion came to an end, along with party politics.