In seventeenth-century France, many remunerative government positions in the provinces were sold by the king and then passed from father to son. Historians have concluded that this system was more effective than a purely meritocratic system in ensuring not only that most of the officials were competent, but that they were more sympathetic to the local people than to the king. Each of the following, if true of seventeenth-century France, helps to support the historians' conclusion EXCEPT: ['To raise revenues, new offices were often created and sold by the king.', 'Most government officials had close ties to the people in the provinces in which they held their positions.', 'It was difficult for the king to oust a disloyal government official from an inherited office.', 'Government officials often received financial gratuities from local merchants.']