Why did an increased demand for coal as an energy source yield democratic claims in some places and colonial domination in others?

Using historical examples, describe in detail the methods employed by coal workers (miners, transporters, etc) to make democratic claims.

Land that was already owned and claimed by someone had to be democratically approached while places that hadn't been claimed by countries could easily be colonized as the colonizers often considered those who lived there to be less than people. Miners and transporters could easily just enter a piece of wild land and take it, while it couldn't be done in Europe where everything was already owned and claimed.