The Presidential election of 1876 played out as in current day recollection of the Bush Gore election of 2000. Rutherford B. Hayes the Republican candidate won through unusual means and inpart by backsliding from Republican principals. The Democratic candidate, Samuel Tilden, Governor of New York, won the popular vote by about a 250,000 ballot margin, thus prompting the general perception that Hayes "stole" the election. Republican operatives challenged the election results in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina. If all the electoral votes of these three states could be won over for Hayes, he would win the electoral college by one vote and this is what ultimately happened. To settle the dispute, Congress, with Tilden's blessing, set up a high joint commission, which had fifteen members, five from the Senate, five from the House, and five from the Supreme Court, which as luck would have it had one Independent member. So the commission was arranged to consist of seven Republicans, seven Democrats, and one Independent Justice David Davis of Illinois. Just before the commission was to begin to execute its charge, Davis withdrew to become a U.S. Senator from Illinois. All the Supreme Court justices not already on the commission were Republicans. So when the high joint commission set to work, the Republicans held a one seat majority on it. When the commission finally voted, it did so along strict party lines. And Hayes won by a vote of eight to seven a vote which became a slogan of the times "eight villains to seven patriots". Hayes still had to get some congressional Democrats to acquiesce in the commission's vote and he did this by offering Southern Democrats a host of regionally targeted benefits including a promise of withdrawal of federal troops from the South and end reconstruction, which he did soon after the election was settled in his favor early in March 1877. You can read more about the 8 to 7 vote by reading Richard Morh's book, Pottery, Politics, Art George Ohr and the Brothers Kirkpatrick. The salt glaze jug features twelve salt glaze snakes each meticulously applied and carved to resemble the lifelike scales of the snake. The snakes are accented with polychrome slip glaze spots and stripes. Prior to applying the snakes the base the surface was combed with a utensil to give it a wavy presence. The top rim of the jug is incised with "8 to 7". The bottom of the jug demonstrates the beautiful creamy yellow clay Kaolin clay that was used by Anna Pottery. H 11", W 9", D 9"

The condition of the Snake Jug is extremely fine. The only exceptions to this is that the head of one of the snakes is absent. One of the other snakes head has been reattached in place. A few of the snakes have minor hairline cracks. Writer cannot say that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but will say this, depending on your age, is quite possibly a twice in one's lifetime opportunity! Writer hopes the next owner will appreciate this extraordinary Anna snake jug as and share it with future generations.