Not surprisingly, those in the comitatus, who had the most access to the emperor, gained the most privileges, so that less important officials in the retinue had higher privileges than more important officials who served elsewhere. This explains the problem that was found in members of the city councils, who faced heavy and onerous burdens, seeking to join the administration. Numerous laws in the fourth and fifth centuries attest to both the frequency with which members of the curial class sought refuge in government service and the futility of laws prohibiting this. The emperor was naturally responsible for appointing high officials, but oddly he also directly appointed minor positions, too. There was no way that he could actually assess such appointments and instead relied on the advice of those who had his ear.
Support given for such appointments is called suffragium.
The aspirant to some office could go through an important intermediary, who in turn could make a suggestion to the man with the emperor's ear. The upshot of this system was rampant bribery and corruption. Holding office cost money and the only way to recover it was to bilk the public that was at one's mercy. The most obvious examples of this took place at the level of the provincial governors, but all officials below them engaged in the practice. Centralization Despite its great autocratic power, the central government found it hard to exert its will.