GENERAL PRINCIPLES 31 



be admitted in general terms ; " changed 

 conditions" has always been the war-cry 

 of the reformer ; but neither the general 

 theory of evolution nor commonplaces about 

 " changed conditions " will take us very 

 far in dealing with the actual problems of 

 finance. The reference to real financial 

 history is a very different matter, and in 

 every one of the canons of taxation, and 

 the corresponding rules of expenditure, the 

 historical influences must be reckoned with. 

 For the purposes of illustration we may 

 take the canon of equity, which is always 

 the canon which is most appealed to by 

 impatient reformers ; they look to the ideal 

 and overlook the means. 



As already observed, the reference given 

 to the recent Royal Commission was " to 

 inquire into the present system under 

 which taxation is raised for local purposes, 

 and to report whether all kinds of real 



