ABSTRACT
The war years and normal population growth patterns of a highly industrialized state had probably produced as much imbalance in the ratios of the several districts as could be found in any other part of the nation. Other factors bear on Congressional districting matters. These include the importance of county lines, based on tradition and on the considerable degree of local autonomy granted by the state government. Moreover, geography had endowed Maryland with sharp regional divi sions, creating areas of political "togetherness" not to be lightly dis regarded. Western Maryland, the eastern shore, and southern Maryland are all in an often-intense competition for political spoils. Finally, the two "bedroom suburbs" surrounding Baltimore and Washington are of a continuous sort which can be fractioned only by disrupting the exist ence of the county as a county. No such division has ever been under taken for purposes of Congressional districting.
