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and that this possessory title can be relinquished by voluntary cession to the United States. The Indians being only occupying claimants, as soon as they cease to occupy, the absolute title vest in the United States. The evidence of relinquishment of their title may be a treaty, a written contract, a verbal agreement or an abandonment. Having only a possessory title they have only to cease to possess in their title lapses.

All the vast domain from sea to sea did not come to the United States by treaty. As civilization pressed forward, the Indians retreated to a better hunting ground, and the white people took possession of their old homes. As under the law a man waives his rights to a homestead by abandoning it, so the Indian relinquishes his title by yielding his occupancy.

We find these Indians on the Quapaw reservation in the Indian Territory receiving government annuities, under supervision of the agent of the government. There is no evidence showing that force was used in taking them to the Indian Territory. ^[[There can be no]] [[strikethru]]The[[/strikethru]] presumption [[strikethru]]is[[/strikethru]] that the government violated any law or broke faith with these Ponca Indians to get them into the Indian Territory. The presumption runs in favor of the 
rightfulness of the acts of the officers of the government. If these complainants impute bad

[[margin]] [[strikethrough]]361[[/strikethrough]] [[/margin]] 
[[margin]] 359 [[/margin]]