The Waters-Pierce Oil Company case began in 1897 when Attorney General Martin M. Crane filed a lawsuit claiming the company was a party to the trust agreement in Standard Petroleum in New Jersey. Accused of antitrust violations, the company will have to pay at least $5,000 per day for 300 days. The company appealed, saying the amount violated the Eighth Amendment, specifically the excessive fine clause. It was stated that "the court ruled against the corporation because Waters-Pierce was a party to a trust agreement and not because it was a trust operating in Texas" (Waters-Pierce case). The Waters-Pierce case and the Bailey controversy demonstrated that for many Texas progressives the need for stronger regulation in the state and paved the way for good changes in