The Waters-Pierce Oil Company case began in 1897 when Attorney General Martin M. Crane filed a lawsuit claiming that the company was part of the Standard Petroleum trust agreement in New Jersey. Accused of violating antitrust laws, the company must pay at least $5,000 per day for 300 days. The company appealed, claiming the amount violated the Eighth Amendment, specifically the excessive fines clause. It was stated that "the court ruled against the company 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 affair and the Bailey controversy demonstrated that, for many Texas progressives, the need for stricter regulations in the state and set the stage for positive changes